US to Putin: Stop destabilizing Ukraine

The United States has called on Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to stop destabilizing Ukraine, threatening Moscow with further sanctions.

White House spokesman Jay Carney on Monday said Washington is concerned about “several escalatory” moves over the weekend.

Carney said Washington is ready to impose further sanctions targeting the Russian economy, if the situation continues to escalate.

The warning came after pro-Russian citizens of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk declared independence from Kiev, announcing the creation of the independent People’s Republic of Donetsk.

The citizens are now in control of several regional state offices, including the state administration building. They’ve appealed to Russia to send peacekeeping forces into the region.

The protesters have urged a referendum to be held by May 11 to pave the ground for joining Russia.

Last month, Ukraine’s Crimean region rejoined Russia after residents in the peninsula voted in a referendum to break away from Ukraine.

“We are concerned about several escalatory moves in Ukraine at the weekend. We see them as the result of increasing Russian pressure on Ukraine,” Carney said.

He warned that the recent protests would be regarded as “a serious escalation and would unleash new consequences from the West.”

Tensions erupted between Washington and Moscow following a political crisis in Ukraine that led to the ouster of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. Russia called the ouster of Yanukovych a Western-backed coup and annexed the strategic region of Crimea last month, a move that angered both NATO member countries and the United States.

Washington has already imposed targeted sanctions on a Russian bank and officials in Putin’s inner circle over the tension.