The United States piled the pressure on Russia on Wednesday over its actions in Ukraine, where the authorities are mobilising tens of thousands of police for a presidential vote threatened by the bloody insurgency gripping the east.
Vice President Joe Biden threatened further sanctions on Moscow if it disrupts Sunday’s presidential ballot, seen as crucial to prevent all-out civil war on Europe’s doorstep.But just days ahead of the vote, violence appears to have tapered off in the east, where the Ukrainian army has been battling for almost six weeks to crush the pro-Moscow rebellion.
The people of the east “are starting to understand that the separatist terrorists are leading the region to the abyss,” interim President Oleksandr Turchynov said on his first visit to the flashpoint city of Slavyansk.