Russian lawmakers revoke Putin's power to use military in Ukraine
updated 1:38 PM EDT, Wed June 25, 2014
People say goodbye
to volunteer soldiers in Kiev, Ukraine, before they leave for the
eastern part of the country to join the ranks of a special battalion on
Monday, June 23. Here's a look at the upheaval that has persisted in
eastern Ukraine since the election of President Petro Poroshenko.
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Ukraine after the election
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NATO agrees to a package of support to help Ukraine defend itself
- Russia's Federation Council cancels resolution authorizing use of troops in Ukraine
- President Vladimir Putin asked for the step in light of peace talks, his spokesman says
- John Kerry and other NATO foreign ministers are meeting in Belgium
The Federation Council had approved Putin's request for a resolution allowing the use of force on March 1.
But Tuesday, Putin sent a
letter to the speaker of the upper house seeking to cancel the
resolution. One lawmaker voted against revoking the powers Wednesday,
with 153 in favor.
Putin's request was made
in light of ongoing talks on how to settle the crisis in Ukraine's
eastern regions, said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Russia and Ukraine have
been engaged in a tense standoff since March when Russia annexed the
previously Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and massed troops along other
parts of its border with Ukraine.
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Ukraine's new President,
Petro Poroshenko, declared a cease-fire last week in Kiev's fight
against pro-Russia separatists in an effort to calm the situation.
The violence continued Tuesday when Ukrainian authorities said pro-Russia militants shot down a military helicopter in eastern Ukraine, killing nine.
However, peace talks
involving representatives from all sides were under way Wednesday in the
Ukrainian city of Donetsk, Ukraine's official Ukrinform news agency
said.
Those participating
included Ukrainian government officials, pro-Russia separatists from the
restive eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions, Russian officials and
members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
On Wednesday, U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States and Europe plan on
additional sanctions against Russia, depending on what choices it makes
ahead.
Asked if the parliament
vote to revoke Putin's power to use force in Ukraine was sufficient
action to delay sanctions, Kerry said that he needed to see more.
The parliamentary action is a positive step, Kerry said, but it could be easily reversed.
The greatest difference will be made when Putin publicly calls for separatists in Ukraine to lay down their arms, Kerry said.
NATO chief: Peace plan a step forward
NATO foreign ministers
on Wednesday endorsed a package of support strengthening the ability of
Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance, to defend itself.
Agreed to after talks in
Belgium with Ukraine's new foreign minister, Pavlo Klimkin, the package
includes "the creation of new trust funds to support defense capacity
building in critical areas such as logistics, command and control, cyber
defense and to help retired military personnel to adapt to civilian
life," according to NATO.
"Ukraine has a clear
vision for rebuilding its defense and security sector and a clear
strategy for resolving the crisis," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh
Rasmussen said.
Inside Slovyansk: A week of bombardment
Where unrest has occurred in E. Ukraine
Poroshenko's peace plan is "a major step forward and we fully support it," he added.
Rasmussen also called on
Russia "to create conditions for the implementation of the peace plan,
to end its support for separatist troops, and to stop the flow of
weapons and fighters across its border."
The meeting comes ahead
of a NATO summit in Wales in September "at a time when security
challenges are multiplying beyond our borders," Rasmussen said.
"Today we stressed the importance of our collective defense."
The ministers from the
28 NATO members -- some of whom are former Soviet states whose nerves
have been frayed by Russia's actions against Ukraine -- also agreed to
maintain the suspension of practical civilian and military cooperation
with Russia.
"There will be no
business as usual with Russia until Russia comes back into line with its
international obligations," Rasmussen said.
Coordinated sanctions
Kerry met with Klimkin ahead of Wednesday's talks.
Kerry also met Tuesday
evening with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and
representatives of other world powers, a senior State Department
official said.
Kerry discussed their
joint support for Poroshenko's peace plan and the importance of
preparing additional coordinated sanctions if Putin does not take
further steps, the official said.
The United States and
European Union have already imposed targeted economic sanctions against
certain Russians and companies over Russia's activities in Ukraine.
The resolution
authorizing Russia to use force in Ukraine was passed three weeks before
Russia completed its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region, which other
world powers condemned.
CNN's Alla Eshchenko reported from Moscow,
and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported in London. Journalist Victoria
Butenko and CNN's Lindsay Isaac and Talia Kayali contributed to this
report.
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