Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych
Secretary of State John Kerry has
arrived in Ukraine with offers of $1 billion in loan guarantees (which would need to be backed by Congress) and technical assistance after the ouster of former President Viktor Yanukovych and the subsequent Russian takeover of Crimea:
The purpose of the loan guarantee is to support Ukraine’s efforts to integrate with the West and to help offset the reduction of energy subsidies from Russia, which has challenged the new government’s legitimacy and occupied the Crimean Peninsula.
The United States will also send technical experts to help Ukraine’s national bank and finance ministry, provide advice on how to fight corruption and train election monitors to help establish the legitimacy of Ukraine’s coming election.
American officials are offering assistance in recovering “stolen assets,” an allusion to the billions of dollars that are alleged to have been spirited out of the country by former President Viktor F. Yanukovych and powerful businessmen.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
argued Tuesday that Yanukovych is still the legal president of Ukraine and that, in that role, Yanukovych asked Russia to move into the Crimean peninsula. Yanukovych was voted out of office by the Ukrainian parliament after he fled the country following months of anti-government protest and the killing of dozens of protesters by government.
7:31 AM PT: Here's a White House fact sheet on international support for Ukraine.