Zee Media Bureau
Kiev: Just days before the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea is to hold a referendum on secession, Ukraine`s interim President Oleksandr Turchynov has claimed that Russia is provoking Ukraine to act so that Moscow gets a pretext to attack the ex-Soviet bloc.
However, the interim head of state in an interview to the news agency AFP, said that Ukraine will not take any action as Russia wants.
In an exclusive interview to the AFP, he said, "They`re provoking us to have a pretext to intervene on the Ukrainian mainland... (but) we cannot follow the scenario written by the Kremlin."
Turchynov told AFP that Ukraine will never try to get Crimea back from Russia, if the latter annexed the Black Sea Peninsula as it would expose the eastern border [close to Russia] and Ukraine would not be protected.
Turchynov further said that Russia was using Crimea referendum as a `provocation` and refusing to hold dialogue with the authorities in Kiev.
"The Russian forces don`t intend to hold a referendum, they`re just going to falsify the results," he said.
Russia does not recognise the new Ukraine government as President Vladimir Putin considers the ousted leader Viktor Yanukovych as the only legitimate President.
Russian refusal to talk to Ukraine comes as the US Secretary of State John Kerry cancelled a meeting with leader Putin.
Kerry said that he will attend the meeting only when Moscow gets ready to engage his proposals drafted to resolve Ukraine crisis.
Meanwhile, in a show of solidarity with the fledgling Kiev government, US President Barack Obama is to host Ukrainian interim PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk at White House today.
Miffed with Russian military intervention in Crimea, the US has already imposed sanctions on Russians held responsible for violating the territorial integrity of the Ukraine.
