Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that Western sanctions over the Crimea dispute were "unacceptable" and threatened consequences, Moscow said on Tuesday. The two senior diplomats spoke by telephone hours after President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty in the Kremlin making Ukraine's Crimea peninsula part of Russia, despite an outcry from Kiev and the West. Putin said he did not plan to seize any other part of Ukraine, and Kerry later cautioned that any incursion into other parts of Ukraine would be an "egregious step" and a major challenge for the international community. "(Crimea) republic residents made their democratic choice in line with the international law and the U.N. charter, which Russia accepts and respects," a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said, "while the sanctions introduced by the United States and the European Union are unacceptable and will not remain without consequences." On Monday, the United States and the EU imposed sanctions on a handful of officials from Russia and Ukraine accused of involvement in Moscow's seizure of the Black Sea peninsula, most of whose 2 million residents are ethnic Russians. Lavrov's remarks echoed comments earlier on Tuesday by Putin who said Western attempts to frighten Russia with sanctions would be viewed as an act of aggression, and that Moscow would retaliate. Kerry reiterated Washington's position that the referendum and the takeover of Crimea were "illegal" and "unacceptable," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. "We don't accept them and there will continue to be costs and consequences," she told a daily briefing. "We are continuing to prepare additional sanctions and we haven't taken options off the table." Kerry told students at the State Department that an incursion by Russia into eastern Ukraine would be "as egregious as any step I can think of that can be taken by a country in today's world, particularly by a country like Russia where so much is at stake. "Now, I hope we don't get there," he added. He likened the Crimea crisis to the lead-up to World War Two. "Today is egregious enough, when you raise this nationalistic fervor which could, in fact, infect in ways that could be very, very dangerous," he said. "All you have to do is go back and read in history of the lead-up to World War Two and the passions that were released with that kind of nationalistic fervor," he added. "There's a tough history of things like Czechoslovakia in 1968 where the alleged rationale for going into the country was to protect the people in it," he said. "You can ask the Poles how they felt being 'protected' for all those years." Russian forces took control of the Black Sea peninsula in late February following the ouster of Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovich by protests, sparked by his decision to spurn a trade deal with the European Union and seek closer ties to Russia. People in Crimea voted overwhelmingly in last weekend's referendum to join Russia.
More
Foreign visitors amazed by night stay in northern Vietnam ethnic village
In the central living area of a traditional Mong ethnic house in Lao Xa Village, Sung La Commune, located in Dong Van District of Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam, over a dozen guests congregated around hot dinner trays prepared by a millennial local man and his wife.
Read more
Michelangelo's David gets spa treatment in Florence
David's bi-monthly cleaning, then, is 'a form of respect, a form of dignity that we want to give to every work'
2 months ago'Extreme' climate blamed for world's worst wine harvest in 62 years
Australia and Italy suffered the worst
2 days agoColombia's Chiribiquete park to receive $1 million annually for at least 30 years
Colombia's parks agency, the Frankfurt Zoological Society and German fund Legacy Landscapes on Thursday launched a financial mechanism to fund Chiribiquete National Park with $1 million each year for at least 30 years
2 days agoArgentine scientists find speedy 90-million-year-old herbivore dinosaur
The animal, named Chakisaurus nekul, was found in the Pueblo Blanco Natural Reserve, in the southern province of Río Negro
2 days ago'The light of hope': Japanese same-sex couple overjoyed by marriage ruling
Jenny and Narumi wept for happiness last week when a Japanese court ruled that barring same-sex marriages was unconstitutional, a decision that allowed them to move a step closer to a legal marriage and starting a family
3 years agoHighlights
Local delicacies at Hue cuisine fest in central Vietnam excite foreigners
Beatrix said that the central province not only boasts charming landscapes, but also is well-known for various dishes
Photos
Artist paints murals on house to raise awareness of COVID-19 prevention in Hanoi
He drew the virus, vaccine, and earth on the exterior walls of a house
Latest news
South Korean firm provides university in Vietnam’s Tra Vinh with water purification technology
Aquaworks will supply the university with water purification equipment to facilitate its study on water treatment
British young woman injured after falling into cable trench in Hanoi
The hole is some two meters deep
Local delicacies at Hue cuisine fest in central Vietnam excite foreigners
Beatrix said that the central province not only boasts charming landscapes, but also is well-known for various dishes
Foreigners flock to My Khe, one of Asia’s best beaches, for relaxation amid heat
They enjoyed beach utilities offered by local service providers, including beach huts, lounge chairs and others
Hanoi fines disabled TikToker $197.5 over service refusal claims
He was fined VND5 million ($197.4) for providing inaccurate information on social media
Ho Chi Minh City to fell, relocate 185 trees for 1st metro line, bus route connectivity project
The city will fell 37 trees and relocate 148 others
All 10 Vietnamese students bag medals at int’l Mendeleev chemistry olympiad
This was the first time Vietnam has sent students to the olympiad
Da Nang airport’s security center hands over forgotten nearly $12,000 to passenger
The passenger left the bag at the airport as he was absorbed in a conversation
Mischievous monkey anesthetized, sent to rescue station in Ho Chi Minh City
The monkey damaged crops, foraged food in kitchens, made a mess in places it came, ate eggs, and caught chicks
Ho Chi Minh City police bust transnational money laundering racket, including gold shop trading nearly $513mn
Authorities have launched legal proceedings against and temporarily detained 13 related individuals, including two Nigerians