Russian Upper House Deputy: Obama Insults Russian People

Itar-Tass
March 1, 2014

FC deputy speaker: Obama’s statement ‘insults Russian people’

MOSCOW: By saying that Russia would face “costs” for its policy with regard to Ukraine, U.S. President Barack Obama “crossed the red line and insulted the Russian people,” Yuri Vorobyov, Deputy Chair of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russian parliament, said on Saturday, March 1.

“The foreign policy situation in Ukraine requires us to make decisions. The president’s appeal requires us to adopt the relevant resolution,” he said at an urgent meeting of the Federation Council convened to consider President Vladimir Putin’s request for the use of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine pending normalisation of the situation in that country.

“We heard media reports yesterday quoting Obama as saying that Russia would face ‘costs’ for its policy. We know that Maidan fighters were trained in Lithuania and Poland. Now they want to take their activities to eastern regions of Ukraine and Crimea,” Vorobyov said.

He described Obama’s words as “a direct threat”: “he crossed the ‘red line’ and insulted the Russian people.” “I think we should ask the president and recall [the Russian ambassador from the U.S.],” Vorobyov noted.

He was supported by Federation Council member Vyacheslav Shtyrov, who believes that “events occurring in Ukraine are the upshot of the extensive work that was done with the participation of foreign countries. The U.S. played a major role,” he said.

Shtyrov noted that U.S. officials were openly saying that they had invested a lot of money in order to create this situation. “On the other hand, Russia has always adhered to a reserved and balanced position, and our president was even reproached for non-interfering in the situation in Ukraine. Now Russia is facing accusations and threats,” Shtyrov said.

“I support Yuri Vorobyov. We must appeal to the president of Russia with the recommendation he mentioned [that the Russian ambassador be recalled from the U.S.],” he added.

Valentina Matviyenko, Chairperson of the Federation Council, has instructed the Committee on International Relations to draw up an appeal to Putin for recalling the Russian ambassador from the United States.

“There is the proposal to instruct the Committee on International Relations to prepare an appeal to the President of Russia without delay and send it to the president. The president will consider it and make the decision,” Matviyenko said.