US sanctions individuals, entities involved in Ukraine crisis

The US and its allies have agreed to suspend for the time being their participation in activities associated with the preparation of the scheduled G-8 Summit in Sochi in June.  “Depending on how the situation develops, the US is prepared to consider additional steps and sanctions as necessary,” he said.

“At the same time, as the President has said, we seek to work with all parties to achieve a diplomatic solution that de-escalates the situation and restores Ukraine's sovereignty,” Carney said.

“We call on Russia to take the opportunity before it to resolve this crisis through direct and immediate dialogue with the Government of Ukraine, the immediate pull-back of Russia's military forces to their bases and the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity,” Carney said.  

Earlier, the US slammed Russia for indulging in “false narrative” to justify its “illegal action” in Ukraine, issuing a point-by-point rebuttal of President Vladimir Putin's statements on the crisis.

“As Russia spins a false narrative to justify its illegal actions in Ukraine, the world has not seen such startling Russian fiction since (Fyodor) Dostoyevsky wrote. The formula ‘two plus two equals five' is not without its attractions,” the US State Department said in a fact sheet titled “President Putin's Fiction: 10 False Claims about Ukraine”.  

On Putin's statement that Russian forces in Crimea are only acting to protect Russian military assets and it is “citizens' defense groups” not Russian forces who have seized infrastructure and military facilities in Crimea, it said there is strong evidence to suggest that members of Russian security services are at the heart of the highly organised anti-Ukraine forces in Crimea.