“Today Russia is seeking to fundamentally alter the security landscape in Eastern and Central Europe. First, through its illegal occupation of Crimea and now through this brazen effort… to destabilize Ukraine,” Kerry said when addressing the Munich Security Conference.
Kerry stressed that Europe and the United States share a common policy toward the Ukrainian crisis and Russia.
"We are united, we are working closely together, we all agree that this challenge will not end through military force, we are united in our diplomacy," Kerry added.
The United States and its European allies blamed Moscow for “the occupation of Crimea” and supporting eastern Ukrainian militia. Following the Crimea’s reunification with Russia, Washington and several European countries imposed a series of sanctions against Russia.
In response to western accusations, Moscow claimed that the reunification after the referendum, which saw 96 percent of Crimean residents voting for secession from Ukraine, fully complied with international law. The Kremlin also repeatedly denied its involvement in the Ukrainian internal affairs.
