Posted on 03/31/2014 10:14:02 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a "partial withdrawal" of troops from the border with Ukraine, the German government has said.
Mr Putin informed Chancellor Angela Merkel of the move in a telephone conversation, according to her office.
Thousands of Russian soldiers are still said to be deployed along the border.
Earlier, Ukraine condemned a visit to Crimea by Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and a delegation of government ministers.
A foreign ministry spokesman in Kiev said the highest-level trip to the Black Sea peninsula by officials from Moscow since its annexation by Russia was a "crude violation" of international rules.
A note protesting against the presence of an official in "the territory of another state without preliminary agreement" had been sent, he added.
Crimeans voted to leave Ukraine for Russia on 16 March, in a referendum condemned as illegal by the UN General Assembly.
Mr Medvedev said he would make Crimea a special economic zone. He also vowed to quickly boost salaries and pensions, and to improve education, healthcare and local infrastructure.
'Calmed down'
Russia's decision to annex Crimea has triggered a crisis in relations with the West.
The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on members of President Vladimir Putin's inner circle and other officials. Russia has retaliated with its own sanctions on US lawmakers.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that resolving the crisis depended on Russia pulling back its troops from along Ukraine's border.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
The US just doesn’t have the sort of economic leverage over Russia that Germany does. We buy some crab legs and surplus ammo from Russia. Germany buys Russian gas and (to a lesser degree) oil.
Or this is just a head fake.
Even before Soviet times the Imperial family and aristocracies had homes in the Crimea. I do view Putin as aiming very high; he’s left his wife, with his divorce made official just today.
Since when does a rapist execute the maneuver of partial withdrawal? Its laughable.
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