Ukraine Premier Bids to Calm East as Putin Presses Europe

Ukraine’s premier sought to ease tensions among Russian speakers in the east demanding greater autonomy as President Vladimir Putin appealed to Europe to provide aid to the cash-strapped nation to ensure gas supplies.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk told reporters today in the city of Donetsk, where pro-Russian protesters have seized the local-government headquarters, that his administration in Kiev wants to give greater powers to the regions and to resolve the crisis that’s gripping the country as soon as possible.

Having annexed Crimea and deployed thousands of troops along the border, Putin has been ratcheting up pressure on Ukraine, threatening yesterday to halt gas shipments. Ukraine is dominating discussions at the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, which started today.

“We need to maintain peace in our country and preserve its integrity -- this is the No. 1 task for today,” Yatsenyuk said. “The best recipe to ensure the nation’s integrity is to tell people that we know how to provide a better life for them tomorrow. We don’t have time to wait, we must act quickly.”

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-10/u-s-tells-russia-it-s-ready-to-add-more-sanctions-as-g-7-meets.html