In today's Daily Vertical, Brian Whitmore talks about how the Kremlin shapes the way we talk about Crimea:
U.S. says no evidence to corroborate Russian allegations over Crimea:
Washington’s ambassador to Ukraine says that the United States has seen nothing so far that corroborates Russian allegations of a Ukrainian incursion into Crimea.
Geoffrey Pyatt wrote on Twitter on August 11 that "Russia has a record of frequently levying false accusations at Ukraine to deflect attention from its own illegal actions.”
He also said U.S. sanctions in relation to Russia's annexation of Crimea would remain in place until the territory was returned to Ukraine. (Reuters)
Russian Security Council meets over tighter Crimea security:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a meeting with his Security Council to discuss additional security measures for Crimea as Moscow accuses Kyiv of trying to destabilize the Russian-occupied peninsula with saboteurs.
The Kremlin said on its website that the meeting on August 11 discussed tightening security at the annexed peninsula's land and sea borders with Ukraine.
Separately, the spokesman for Ukraine's General Staff, Vladislav Seleznyov, said on August 11 that Ukraine had the military resources to defend itself and was monitoring the situation around Crimea.
Putin accused Ukraine's government of "terror" on August 10 after a Russian security agent and a soldier were allegedly killed in Crimea thwarting saboteurs.
"We obviously will not let such things slide by," Putin said. "This is a very dangerous game."
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hit back that Moscow's claims were "senseless and cynical".
Putin also called it "pointless" to have international four-way talks over the Ukraine crisis next month amid the rising tension over Crimea.
The next meeting in the Normandy 4 format, involving Russia, Germany, France, and Ukraine, was due to take place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, on September 4-5.
Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations, Vladimir Yelchenko, called Putin's statement "dangerous." He said on August 10 that Kyiv was always ready for further talks. (TASS, Reuters)
Crimea's Russian-installed leader: