by Kait Morris
The deadline for the Ukrainian surrender came and went Mar. 4 with little incident.
Things were tense at a military base in Crimea.
AP VIDEO: Russian troops at the Belbek air base fire warning shots near Ukrainian soldiers: http://t.co/cTWbyG04SM
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 4, 2014
Vladimir Putin held a press conference today where he denied the legitimacy of the current leader of Ukraine.
Putin described the situation in Kiev and Ukraine as “an anti-constitutional takeover, an armed seizure of power.”
He stated that the situation in Ukraine came about, in part, due to corruption. “Corruption has reached dimensions that are unheard of here in Russia,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, arrived in Kiev this morning and was authorized to provide aid to Ukraine.
MORE: U.S. prepares $1 billion aid package as Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in the troubled Ukraine: http://t.co/6k62cw0lNk — The Associated Press (@AP) March 4, 2014
Russia has canceled natural gas discounts to Ukraine.
The U.S. canceled all military-to-military actions and cooperation with Russia. Canada has also canceled all bilateral military engagements with Russia.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke out condemning Russia’s actions and said that Putin has set his country “on a course of diplomatic and economic isolation that could well see Russia exit the G-8 entirely.”
His statement can be viewed here:
The situation in #Ukraine remains extremely serious for global peace & security. Watch my full statement: http://t.co/qVPcDHo7jl #cdnpoli — Stephen Harper (@pmharper) March 3, 2014
Russia announced that any sanctions imposed by the west might backfire,
Russia says it wil retaliate for any US sanctions over #Ukraine: Reuters — CBC News Alerts (@CBCAlerts) March 4, 2014
Canadian’s show their support for the people of Ukraine across the country. Last night a vigil was held at City Hall in Toronto, and now:
Ukrainian flag flies on Parliament Hill as protesters gather at Russian embassy http://t.co/Jsu64NMcF3
— The Canadian Press (@CdnPress) March 4, 2014
**Feature image courtesy flickr creative commons Sasha Maksymenko