Russia And China 'In Agreement' Over Ukraine

Russia has said China is largely "in agreement" over the situation in Ukraine after the other G8 nations condemned its intrusion into the country.

Hundreds of suspected Russian troops have surrounded a Ukrainian military base near Crimea's capital Simferopol, preventing soldiers from going in or out.

The convoy blockading the site includes at least 17 military vehicles, which have Russian number plates.

Rear Admiral Berezovsky announces his defection before TV cameras

Troops were also reported to have taken control of a ferry terminal in the city of Kerch, around 12 miles (19km) by boat from Russia on the eastern tip of the Crimea region, and Ukrainian authorities accused Russia of blocking mobile telephone communications in parts of the peninsula.

But Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk insisted his country "will never give up Crimea to anyone" and urged Russian forces to withdraw.

It comes as Moscow's Stock Exchange dropped around 10% in the first hour of trading, and Russia's central Bank Rossii raised its rate to 7% from 5.5% as the ruble hit an historic low against the dollar and the euro.

Russian servicemen outside a Ukrainian military unit in Perevalnoye, Crimea

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed Ukraine by telephone with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Monday, and claimed they had "broadly coinciding points of view" on the situation there, according to a ministry statement.

Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, he said Russian troops were necessary in Ukraine "until the normalisation of the political situation".

He added: "We call for a responsible approach, to put aside geopolitical calculations, and above all to put the interests of the Ukrainian people first."

As the tense stand-off continues between Russian and Ukrainian forces, the other seven nations of the G8 urged Moscow to hold talks with Kiev.

"We, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States and the President of the European Council and President of the European Commission, join together today to condemn the Russian Federation's clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," they said in a statement.

"We have decided for the time being to suspend our participation in activities associated with the preparation of the scheduled G8 Summit in Sochi in June."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who is in Kiev for talks on the crisis, said Russia has taken operational control of Crimea and described its intervention in Ukraine as the biggest crisis in Europe in the 21st century.

At a news conference with Mr Yatseniuk, he said: "If this situation cannot resolve itself, if Russia cannot be persuaded to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, there will have to be other consequences and other costs.

William Hague said the crisis was the biggest in Europe in the 21st century

"Russia should be in no doubt about this, this is something we take very seriously, that we have to take very seriously, because if this becomes the normal way of behaving in the world, of intruding or violating the sovereignty of neighbours, well then clearly that would be an even bigger crisis in international affairs."

Prime Minister David Cameron also tweeted he will chair a meeting of the National Security Council on the "British and international response to the grave situation in Ukraine".

Mr Yatseniuk indicated his country was mobilising for war following the move, saying in English: "This is not a threat: this is actually the declaration of war to my country."

A soldier stands guard outside Perevalnoye

Mr Yatseniuk heads a pro-Western government that took power in the former Soviet republic when its Moscow-backed president, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted last week.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Kiev on Tuesday to show "strong support for Ukrainian sovereignty".

Meanwhile, Ukraine launched a treason case against its new navy chief after he switched allegiance to the pro-Russian Crimea region.

Rear Admiral Denis Berezovsky was appointed head of Ukraine's navy on Saturday, but appearing before cameras in Sevastopol alongside Sergiy Aksyonov, the pro-Russian prime minister of Crimea's regional parliament, he said he had ordered Ukrainian naval forces there to disregard orders from "self-proclaimed" authorities in Kiev.

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