Zionist Kerry lands in Kiev amid escalating war of words between US, Russia

US Secretary of State John Kerry has landed in Kiev as a war of words between Washington and Moscow escalates over the worsening crisis in Ukraine.

Last month, Western-backed opposition politicians and protesters ousted Ukraine’s democratically-elected president, Viktor Yanukovych, in what Russia has called a coup.

Since the ouster of Yanukovych, Russia has boosted its troops in Ukraine’s autonomous Crimea region to protect its naval bases, which operate there under a long-term lease from Kiev.

Kerry arrived in Kiev on Tuesday to show solidarity with former opposition leaders now facing a military standoff with Moscow.

He met with senior interim Ukrainian officials including Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and acting President Oleksandr Turchynov.

The top US official also condemned what he called Russia’s “act of aggression” in Crimea.

“The United States reaffirms our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity according to international law. We condemn the Russian Federation’s act of aggression,” Kerry told reporters after holding meetings with the interim leaders in Kiev.

“It is clear that Russia has been working hard to create a pretext for being able to invade further,” he said. “Russia has talked about Russian-speaking ordinary citizens that are under siege. They are not. And in fact this government has acted remarkably responsibly,” he added.

He also warned Russia that it could face economic sanctions imposed by the US and its allies unless it reversed course.

“If Russia does not choose to deescalate… then our partners will have absolutely no choice but to join us to continue to expand the kind of steps we have taken in recent days in order to isolate Russia politically, diplomatically and economically,” Kerry stated.

Washington pledged on Tuesday to provide $1 billion in loan guarantees to Ukraine.

“The new Ukrainian government has inherited an economy with enormous potential but that is currently financially fragile and uncompetitive,” the White House said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Russian gas giant Gazprom has announced it will not extend its gas price discount for Ukraine, effective from next month. The company says it has made the decision after Ukraine’s failure to meet its obligations under previous agreements with the company.

This comes as Russia has denounced Ukrainian opposition’s power grab as a coup and noted that Yanukovych remains the legal president of the country.

Speaking to media in a news conference at his residence outside the capital Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on Tuesday the Ukrainian people’s call for change but censured recent developments in neighboring Ukraine as unconstitutional and a coup, saying changing the status quo illegally could not be encouraged and endorsed.

On Monday, Washington made preparations to impose sanctions on high-ranking Russian officials involved in Moscow’s build-up of its forces in Ukraine’s autonomous Crimea region.

Washington has suspended military ties with Russia, including joint maneuvers, port visits and planning meetings.

Recently, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland disclosed that Washington has “invested” about $5 billion in “promoting democracy” in Ukraine over the past two decades.

In early February, Nuland visited Ukraine and held meetings with anti-Kremlin politicians who organized anti-government protests that led to the ouster of Yanukovych.