12:16
19.3.2014
In Vilnius, Biden also said U.S. President Barack Obama would want to use an upcoming NATO summit in Wales to ensure members can meet Article 5 collective-defense commitments.
12:10
19.3.2014
A spokesman for Russian forces in Crimea confirms that the commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Admiral Serhiy Hayduk, has been detained. Hayduk was earlier seen leaving the base and reports said he was then driven away by officers of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
12:09
19.3.2014
At the same press conference in Vilnius, U.S. President Joe Biden says Russia is on a "dark path" to isolation, says "we will respond to any aggression" against NATO allies.
12:08
19.3.2014
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite calls Russia's actions in Crimea a "direct threat to our regional security" and says all measures must be taken to protect against threats.
12:03
19.3.2014
The head of the EU delegation in Ukraine, Ambassador Jan Tombinski, draws attention to "serious human rights abuses" in Crimea over the past three weeks.
"Reported violations include enforced disappearances, ill-treatment and torture, violent attacks against journalists, restrictions to freedom of the media, freedom of movement and freedom of peaceful assembly."
Tombinski says Crimea is now "at the level of some of the world's most dangerous regions."
"Reported violations include enforced disappearances, ill-treatment and torture, violent attacks against journalists, restrictions to freedom of the media, freedom of movement and freedom of peaceful assembly."
Tombinski says Crimea is now "at the level of some of the world's most dangerous regions."
12:01
19.3.2014
Reuters quotes Ukrainian Navy Captain Oleksandr Balanyuk as he stands on the street with a bundle of his belongings after being forced to leave his headquarters in Sevastopol:
"There is nothing we can do against the crowd. Absolutely nothing. Everything is hectic and unruled. There were many promises from the Russian side and our side that the base will not be stormed, that all issues will be resolved politically. But as you see now, there was a takeover. No one was sorting out any politics here."
11:59
19.3.2014
U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, and Latvian President Andris Berzins are holding a press conference following their meeting.
11:50
19.3.2014
"Live in comfort." This banner truly captures the mood in Sevastopol.
@ukrpravda_news Севастополь, 19.03 Напис на банері: Живи з комфортом... via Reuters pic.twitter.com/3JVLGVzj27
— Mikekomar (@mikekomar) March 19, 2014
11:50
19.3.2014
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is currently meeting with the presidents of Lithuania and Latvia to reassure them in the wake of Russia's occupation and "attempted annexation" of Crimea. The visit is part of a two-day regional trip for Biden to meet with Polish officials and the leaders of the three Baltic states. Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite called Biden's trip "symbolic" and told him at the start of her meeting in Vilnius's old town that Russia's actions in Ukraine are "alarming." Biden was to meet separately with Latvian President Andris Berzins. The three will then hold a joint meeting.
11:48
19.3.2014
From our news desk:
Russia has accused Western states of violating a pledge to respect Ukraine's sovereignty under a 1994 security agreement. In a commentary published on its website, the Foreign Ministry said that by "pandering" to a "state coup" in Kyiv, Western nations had violated the Budapest Memorandum. Under that agreement, the United States, Britain, and Russia guaranteed Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in exchange for Ukraine's commitment to give up its nuclear arsenal after the collapse of the Soviet Union.