Washington officials don't challenge authenticity of leaked phone recording

An East-West struggle over Ukraine turned nastier as Moscow accused the United States of fomenting a coup and Washington pointed a finger at Russia for leaking a recording of US diplomats discussing how to shape a new government in Kiev.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared to open the Winter Olympics at Sochi, the first Games in Russia since the then Soviet Union hosted the 1980 summer edition, the showdown over Ukraine produced chilly Cold War rhetoric, with a Kremlin aide warning Moscow might act to block US "interference" in Kiev.

US-Russian relations have long been far from warm, and there seems little chance of conflict going much beyond verbal sparring, but the ferocity of the exchanges was a mark of the importance of Ukraine, a country of 46 million people that Putin wants to keep in Moscow's economic orbit.

He is likely to meet the Ukrainian president in Sochi, possibly to discuss Viktor Yanukovich's plans for a new prime minister - plans on which billions in Russian aid depend. He may also raise concerns, voiced by the Kremlin's point man on Ukraine, that Yanukovich needs to crack down on protesters who have been on the streets for more than two months, demanding he quit.

The United States, for its part, described as "a new low in Russian tradecraft" the posting on YouTube of a recording of a State Department official discussing plans for a new Ukrainian government with the US ambassador in Kiev.

The White House spokesman said: "Since the video was first noted and Tweeted out by the Russian government, I think it says something about Russia's role."

US officials did not challenge the authenticity of what seemed to be a phone call bugged about 12 days ago and which also contained an obscene comment by US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland about the European Union's efforts to work with Washington in support of the Ukrainian opposition.

Similarly, EU officials said they would not comment on a "leaked alleged" call posted on the same anti-opposition website featuring a senior aide to EU diplomacy chief Catherine Ashton complaining about US criticism that the EU was being "too soft" in its approach to imposing sanctions on Yanukovich.

The simultaneous release of the recordings, whatever their source and authenticity, appeared designed to discredit the Western powers, portray Ukraine's opposition as Western pawns and to drive a wedge between Brussels and Washington.

Russian 'torpedo'

Apparently dating from just before Jan 27, when opposition leader Arseny Yatsenyuk turned down Yanukovich's offer to be prime minister, the recording of Nuland and ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt included them agreeing that another opposition figure, former boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko, should not be in the Cabinet.

"I don't think Klitsch (Klitschko) should go into the government," Nuland said in the recording, which carried subtitles in Russian. "I don't think it's a good idea."

She also discussed the prospect of a UN envoy endorsing a new government: "That would be great ... to have the UN help glue it and you know ... f**k the EU."

Reuters

(China Daily 02/08/2014 page8)