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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States is considering 1 billion U.S. dollars in loan guarantees for Kiev, warning Russia that it would be a " grave mistake" to embark on a military intervention in Ukraine, local media reported on Wednesday.
Kerry said the financial aid is part of a planned international assistance for Ukraine and that Washington will consider other direct aid to the former Soviet republic.
"I don't think there should be any doubt whatsoever that any kind of military intervention that would violate the sovereign territorial integrity of Ukraine would be a grave mistake," Kerry was quoted by the report, alluding to Russia.
Also Wednesday, the White House revealed that the U.S. will work with the international community in building an economic assistance package based upon Ukraine's achievements in crafting a unity government.
"An inclusive, broad-based government committed to reconciliation and to economic reform is the necessary foundation for international assistance," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.
"We urge outside actors in the region to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity ... and to use their influence in support of unity, peace, and an inclusive path forward," Carney said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered the armed forces to conduct snap drills in western and central military districts.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the drills, which involve ships of the Baltic and Northern Fleets and the air force, started at 14:00 Moscow time (1000 GMT) and will last until March 3.
Shoigu also announced that Russia is undertaking measures to secure safety of its military facilities in Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula where Russian Black Sea fleet is stationed.
In view of the fasting-moving political landscape of its western neighbor, Moscow has vowed not to interfere in Ukraine's domestic affairs and called on Western countries to follow suit.
"We confirm our principal position of non-involvement in Ukrainian internal affairs and expect everyone to follow a similar logic," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday following talks with his Luxembourg counterpart, Jean Asselborn.
On Wednesday, Kerry denied that the United States was meddling in Ukraine's internal politics.
"We're not putting pressure on them. We're not urging something that they haven't themselves expressed as a desire," the top U.S. diplomat said in an interview with MSNBC television.
Kerry also dismissed the idea that Washington is looking for a confrontation with Moscow.
"What we need now is not to get into an old Cold War confrontation. We need to work together in what does not have to be a zero-sum game to provide the capacity of the people of Ukraine to choose their future. That's all that's at stake," he said.Enditem
