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Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya speaks to the UN General Assembly on March 27.
Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya speaks to the UN General Assembly on March 27.

Live Blog: UN Backs Ukraine Integrity

Final Summary For March 27

-- The UN General Assembly has passed a resolution that affirms Ukraine's territorial integrity.

-- The IMF has announced "a staff-level agreement" with Kyiv on assistance of $14 billion-$18 billion in conjunction with a reform program that will "unlock" up to $27 billion over the next two years, pending final approval next month. Tthe U.S. Congress has also passed an aid bill for Ukraine.

-- Ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko has announced plans to run for president.

-- Members of the Right Sector have been holding a demonstration outside the Ukrainian parliament building to vent their anger at the killing of prominent member Oleksander Muzychko earlier in the week.

-- Six Ukrainian military officers detained by pro-Russian troops in Crimea have been released, including Colonel Yuliy Mamchur, but five others are still being held captive.

-- Anonymous sources quoted by CNN say U.S. intelligence "concludes it is more likely than previously thought that Russian forces will enter eastern Ukraine."

-- U.S. President Barack Obama, in the keynote speech of his visit to Europe, chided Russia for its use of "brute force" in Ukraine and vowed that a determined alliance of the United States and Europe will prevail over time.


*NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kyiv
11:49 18.3.2014


11:53 18.3.2014
Burst of applause, chanting, and standing ovation as Putin asks for the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol.
11:53 18.3.2014
12:07 18.3.2014
They did it live on TV. Putin and Crimean leaders signed a treaty annexing Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as part of the Russian Federation. Lawmakers applauded and chanted "Russia! Russia!"
12:13 18.3.2014
Putin's website is wasting no time today. It's already posted the text of the Crimea treaty: kremlin.ru/news/20604
12:19 18.3.2014
Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine denounces "blatant land grab" in Crimea

12:23 18.3.2014
Meanwhile, here's some more from the wires on U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's trip to Europe:

A senior administration official who is traveling with Biden is quoted as saying the American vice president will reaffirm the NATO allies of Article 5 commitments, discuss how to support Ukraine as it tries to stabilize its economy, and debate further steps to take in the weeks ahead. Biden is not expected to discuss any changes in the missile-defense strategy in Eastern Europe. (AP, WarsawVoice.com)
12:43 18.3.2014
Putin's website, still hard at work, is publishing the English translation of his speech here: eng.kremlin.ru/news/6889
12:44 18.3.2014
12:46 18.3.2014
This just in from RFE/RL's newsdesk:

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says that G8 leaders have suspended Russia's participation in the club of world powers due to Moscow's actions in Crimea.

Fabius, speaking today to the French radio station Europe 1, said, "We decided to suspend Russia's participation, and it is envisaged that all the other countries...will unite without Russia."

The other G8 members -- France, Great Britain, Germany, Canada, the United States, Japan, and Italy -- had previously said they would suspend preparations for the G8 summit in June scheduled to be held in the Russian resort city of Sochi.

Fabius caused a stir in Russia yesterday when he canceled a visit to Moscow and said France might suspend work on two helicopter-carrying warships it is building for Russia.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said those statements "undermine trust." (AP, Europe 1)

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