Putin Retains Right to Military in Ukraine as U.S. Pledges $1B
Following days of heightened tensions surrounding a revolutionary Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered all troops participating in exercises along that border to return to their bases, according to its state news service RIA Novosti, and denied ownership of the mysterious masked troops that have seized strategic points in Crimea. This came hours after the Pentagon announced it would cease all engagement with the Russian military until it draws down in Ukraine.
Putin’s orders preceded a decision by the largest Russian natural gas supplier to cease offering critical discounts to Ukraine.
U.S. President Barack Obama announced early Tuesday that his administration and Congress are working to put together an aid package that would offer $1 billion in loans to Ukraine, whose floundering economy first prompted protests in November.
But all is not yet clear in Ukraine, particularly the strategic port region of Crimea, which borders on the Black Sea and is home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Armed troops Putin says are local militias continue to operate there.