Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Barack Obama says the Russian people will realise they will not achieve their aims through brute force 
 
 The US and EU are discussing "deeper sanctions" against Russia if there are "further incursions into Ukraine". 
 
 US President Barack Obama said "energy is obviously a central focus of our efforts", acknowledging it "will have some impact on the global economy". 
 
 He was speaking after talks in Brussels with EU leaders. 
 
 In a keynote speech later, he said Russians "will recognise that they cannot achieve security, prosperity and status... through brute force". 
 
 "That's why, throughout this crisis, we will combine our substantial pressure on Russia with an open door for diplomacy," he told an audience at the end of his visit to Brussels. 
 
 Tensions are high between the West and Russia after Ukraine's southern peninsula of Crimea was annexed by Russian forces earlier this month after a referendum which Kiev and its Western allies considered illegal. 
 
 'Disgrace' 
 
 Mr Obama, along with EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy and EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barosso, stressed EU and US unity on the issue of Ukraine. 
 
 "The world is safer and more just when Europe and America stand as one," Mr Obama said. Mr Van Rompuy called it a "crucial" relationship. 
 
 Mr Obama praised the 28-nation EU bloc for the steps it had already taken - along with the US - to penalise Russia. These have included visa bans and asset freezes against a number of Russian officials. 
 
 He said those actions were taken after Russian forces moved in to annex Crimea, and they now must consider "the potential for additional, deeper sanctions" should Moscow attempt to do the same in other parts of Ukraine. 
 
 "We recognise that in order for Russia to feel the impact of these sanctions, it will have some impact on the global economy as well as on all the countries represented here today," Mr Obama said. 
 
 Acknowledging that some EU countries were more dependent than others on Russia for energy, he said "this entire event has pointed to the need for Europe to look at how it can further diversify its energy sources". 
 
 And he said Nato must remain a "regular presence" in those eastern European countries which feel vulnerable to possible Russian intervention. He also voiced concern at the falling defence budgets of some countries. 
 
 Mr Van Rompuy called Russia's actions in Crimea "a disgrace in the 21st Century, and we will not recognise it". 
 
 Image copyright AFP Image caption The US presidential limousine leaves Mr Obama's hotel in central Brussels on Wednesday morning 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption Security is high as the motorcade carrying the president drives through empty streets in the capital 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Obama flew to Brussels after starting his European tour with a nuclear summit in The Hague 
 
 Pro-Russian forces began moving it to take key sites in Crimea days after Ukraine's pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted. He left power following months of bloody protests over his decision to seek greater ties with Moscow rather than the EU. 
 
 Remembering WW1 
 
 This is Mr Obama's first official visit to the EU headquarters in Brussels. 
 
 He began his trip to Belgium with a visit to a cemetery in Flanders, where US soldiers killed in World War One are buried. 
 
 He paid tribute to fallen US soldiers at the American Cemetery and Memorial in Waregem, to mark 100 years since the start of WW1. Belgian King Philippe and Prime Minister Elio di Rupo were also in attendance. 
 
 Mr Obama's talks with Mr Van Rompuy and Mr Barroso also covered plans to finalise a transatlantic trade partnership, as well as efforts to tackle Iran's nuclear programme and Syria's chemical weapons. 
 
 He then met Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen before delivering his keynote speech in Brussels' Palace of Fine Art. 
 
 The president flew in on Tuesday evening from the Dutch city of The Hague where he attended a summit on nuclear security with other world leaders. 
 
 Security is high in the Belgian capital, with police cordoning off areas near the EU headquarters and Mr Obama's hotel. 
 
 Image copyright AFP Image caption The presidential helicopter Marine One lands near the US military cemetery in Waregem 
 
 Image copyright AFP Image caption Barack Obama is seen disembarking from the Marine One helicopter 
 
 Some extra 800 police officers have been deployed on Brussels' streets for the duration of Mr Obama's visit. 
 
 In total, Belgium has spent 10m euros (£8.35m) on increased security. 
 
 The US president will stay in Brussels for less than 24 hours before travelling to Rome for a meeting with Pope Francis. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ukrainian soldiers are trapped on their own base as Daniel Sandford reports 
 
 Ukraine has ordered a full military mobilisation in response to Russia's build-up of its forces in Crimea. 
 
 Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Ukraine was "on the brink of disaster". 
 
 In Crimea, Ukrainian soldiers faced off with Russian soldiers surrounding their bases while the Russian army is said to be digging trenches on the border with mainland Ukraine. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption US Secretary of State John Kerry said Russian troops moving into the Ukraine region of Crimea was a "brazen act of aggression" 
 
 US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Russia could be ejected from the Group of Eight developed nations. 
 
 Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said, was "not going to have a Sochi G8, he may not even remain in the G8 if this continues," referring to a planned summit in Russia in June. 
 
 "He may find himself with asset freezes, on Russian business. American business may pull back, there may be a further tumble of the rouble. 
 
 "You just don't in the 21st Century behave in 19th Century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped-up pretext," Mr Kerry told the CBS program Face the Nation. 
 
 The facts on the ground are such that Russia, to a large extent, is already in control there Moscow's Ukraine gamble 
 
 The UK has joined the US, France and Canada in suspending preparations for the Sochi summit. 
 
 Nato is conducting emergency talks, saying Russia's actions threaten "peace and security in Europe". 
 
 US President Barack Obama called Russian troop deployments a "violation of Ukrainian sovereignty". 
 
 Russian soldiers continue to occupy key sites on the Crimean peninsula, including airports and communications hubs, although there has been no actual violence and they have been openly welcomed by some sections of the population. 
 
 In the east Ukrainian city of Donetsk, apparent members of the disbanded elite police riot unit Berkut appeared in full uniform at a pro-Russian rally. 
 
 At the scene Crowds of excited pro-Russian Crimeans have gathered near the gates of the marines' base in Feodosia. A deadline demanding the marines pledge loyalty to the new government in Crimea has passed. Despite threats to attack the base, local Cossacks, who act as law and order here, continue to stand in a chain near the gates. Behind the gates I could see freshly-made dugouts, but no-one is inside them at the moment. A couple of marines in sand-coloured flak jackets are manning the gates from the inside. The street leading to the base is blocked by two armoured personnel carriers, with another closer to the gates. When asked whose APCs and soldiers they were, a Cossack said "Russians", but he didn't know whether they came from Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol or Russia. From time to time the loudspeaker on a van near to the entrance of the base calls on the marines to recognise the new pro-Russian government in Crimea, and not to act upon "criminal orders from Kiev". Any filming activity in the crowds is risky - we saw cameramen and photographers being harassed. One cameraman had to leave the approach to the base and another was led away by a policeman. Text of Putin's request to use troops What is so dangerous about Crimea? Crimea profile 
 
 In Moscow, police detained dozens of people at anti-war rallies outside the Russian defence ministry and other places in the city centre, while elsewhere in the city a pro-Putin march was held. 
 
 Military build-up 
 
 Ukrainian national security officials announced several other measures on Sunday 
 
 The armed forces would to be put on "full combat readiness" 
 
 Reserves to be mobilised and trained 
 
 Foreign minister to seek help from US and UK leaders in guaranteeing its security 
 
 Emergency headquarters to be set up 
 
 Security to be boosted at key sites, including nuclear plants 
 
 Airspace to be closed to all non-civilian aircraft 
 
 Meanwhile, Ukraine withdrew coast guard vessels from two ports in Crimea and moved them to other bases in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. 
 
 A Ukrainian army base was surrounded by Russian troops at Perevalnoye, south of the Crimean regional capital Simferopol. An Orthodox priest has arrived in an attempt to mediate. 
 
 In Sevastopol, Ukrainian naval officers found their headquarters occupied by Russian troops and were unable to go to work. 
 
 Admiral Yuriy Ilyn, who was until recently commander of the Ukrainian navy and served briefly as head of Ukraine's armed forces under ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, told the BBC's Christian Fraser at the scene that the armed forces were "hostages of the situation". 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Admiral Yuri Ilyn: "I'm very sorry that Ukrainian soldiers and sailors are hostages of this situation" 
 
 In the eastern port city of Feodosia, a group of about 100 Ukrainian marines were also blockaded into their base by armed men demanding they pledge loyalty to the region's new pro-Russian authorities. 
 
 In the north of Crimea, at Armyansk on the Isthmus of Perekop, the BBC saw what appeared to be Russian soldiers digging trenches. The isthmus is strategically vital as it joins Crimea to the rest of Ukraine. 
 
 Russian ground troops have been active in Crimea - home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet - for the past few days. 
 
 On Saturday the newly elected pro-Moscow leader of Crimea, Sergiy Aksyonov, appealed to Mr Putin for help to ensure peace on the peninsula. 
 
 The interim government in Kiev does not recognise Mr Aksyonov and his government. 
 
 Image copyright AP Image caption Ukrainian soldiers were surrounded by Russian troops at Perevalnoye, one of several stand-offs on the peninsula 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Russian soldiers surrounded a Ukrainian base at Perevalnoye in Crimea 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption One pro-Russian family posed for photos with the soldiers 
 
 Image caption Russian soldiers were apparently digging trenches on the strip of land joining Crimea to mainland Ukraine 
 
 Image copyright AFP Image caption Apparent members of Ukraine's disbanded riot unit, Berkut, turned out at a pro-Russian rally in the eastern city of Donetsk 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption A march was held in Moscow in support of President Putin's policy on Crimea and Ukraine 
 
 Image copyright AP Image caption But there were small anti-war protests too. "Ukrainians - I am ashamed to be a Russian!" - placard of one protester arrested in Moscow 
 
 Image copyright AP Image caption Meanwhile pro-EU protesters rallied once again in the capital Kiev 
 
 Image copyright AFP Image caption Anti-Putin protesters in Kiev mocked the Russian leader with a placard showing him as Adolf Hitler 
 
 Russian 'violation' 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ukraine's interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says his country is "on the brink of disaster" 
 
 Late on Saturday, Mr Obama held a 90-minute telephone conversation with Mr Putin and urged him to pull forces back to bases in Crimea. 
 
 Mr Putin said Moscow reserved the right to protect its interests and those of Russian speakers in Ukraine. 
 
 President Putin submitted his request for troops to the Russian parliament on Saturday "in connection with the extraordinary situation in Ukraine and the threat to the lives of Russian citizens", the Kremlin said. 
 
 Mr Obama, the White House said, told Mr Putin that the appropriate way to address any concerns was "peacefully through direct engagement" with the Ukrainian government and international mediating bodies. ||||| • Obama: Putin is 'not fooling anybody' • Putin: there has been 'unconstitutional takeover' in Ukraine • Germany: 'no solution in sight to Ukraine crisis' • Russia warns US of response if sanctions imposed • No overnight assault but Crimea remains tense • Russia states Viktor Yanukovych asked for military help 
 
 01.30 We're going to leave it there for the night, please check our Ukraine page for the latest. 
 
 01.10 The White House is also briefing that Obama won't attend the G8 summit unless the situation is reversed. (Worth remembering that it isn't until June and who knows where we'll be by then). 
 
 <noframe>Twitter: ian bremmer - US announces will not participate in G8 meeting in Sochi. Putin doesn't care.</noframe> 
 
 00.40 Obama spoke to Angela Merkel tonight about the situation in Ukraine and the possibility of Germany acting as a mediator. We're also starting to get some detail of the so-called "off ramp" the diplomatic offer that would allow Putin to de-escalate without losing face. It would basically involve Russian troops pulling back to their bases in Crimea, bringing their numbers below 11,000, and international monitors to assuage Russian concerns that its nationals would face persecution, according to White House officials. 
 
 00.20 My Russian isn't up to much but Buzzfeed reports that this video shows a cheerful Russian soldier laughing about having no insignia on his uniform before finally admitting which military he's from. 
 
 23.50 Obama has been maintaining the appearance of normalcy despite the crisis in Ukraine. Today, he went to a primary school in Washington, an unlikely venue for foreign policy announcements, to talk about the budget. Tomorrow he's headed to Connecticut to talk about the minimum wage and then to Boston for a political fundraiser. 
 
 Supporters will say the level-headed president is refusing to allow Putin to derail his agenda but critics would argue it looks like the leader of the free world isn't paying attention. 
 
 23.40 Robert Gates, Obama's former defence secretary, caused serious headaches for the White House earlier this year with his tell-all book trashing the president's national security advisers. 
 
 But he's come to his former boss's defence on Ukraine, saying that Republican critics are trying to "egg him on" into provocative military gestures that would only inflame the situation. He told the Washington Post: 
 
 I’d even be cautious about sending warships into the Black Sea. It’s a threatening gesture, but if you’re not prepared to do something about it, it’s an empty gesture. 
 
 23.12 The Kremlin has posted a full transcript of Putin's earlier press conference in Russia. 
 
 A lot of is pretty technical and I'm sure much has been lost in translation. But here's the key paragraphs on why Russia sees its incursion as justified. 
 
 What can serve as a reason to use the Armed Forces? Such a measure would certainly be the very last resort. 
 
 First, the issue legitimacy. As you may know, we have a direct appeal from the incumbent and, as I said, legitimate President of Ukraine, Mr Yanukovych, asking us to use the Armed Forces to protect the lives, freedom and health of the citizens of Ukraine. 
 
 What is our biggest concern? We see the rampage of reactionary forces, nationalist and anti-Semitic forces going on in certain parts of Ukraine, including Kiev. I am sure you, members of the media, saw how one of the governors was chained and handcuffed to something and they poured water over him, in the cold of winter. After that, by the way, he was locked up in a cellar and tortured. What is all this about? Is this democracy? Is this some manifestation of democracy? He was actually only recently appointed to this position, in December, I believe. Even if we accept that they are all corrupt there, he had barely had time to steal anything. 
 
 22.42 Caitlin Hayden, the White House's national security spokeswoman, confirms the US was made aware that Russia was planning today's missile test 
 
 <noframe>Twitter: ABC Foreign Desk - Nat'l Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden: "Russia provided advance notification of this launch to the United States."</noframe> 
 
 22.20 The US is talking about imposing sanctions on Russia within days but there's real anxiety in Washington about whether the Europeans can be rallied to the cause. The photographed Number 10 document, indicating British reluctance to cut Russia out of London's financial markets, is one source of concern. Another is whether Germany, Europe's economic powerhouse, can be relied upon given how dependent it is on Russia for its natural gas supplies. 
 
 Harry Reid, the Democratic leader in the Senate, said yesterday that the US should wait until it has its European allies lined up before imposing sanctions. 
 
 The most important thing is for us – the United States – to make sure that we don’t go off without the European community. We have to work with them. Their interests are really paramount if we are going to do sanctions of some kind. We have to have them on board with us. 
 
 21.45 Having spent the day in Ukraine, John Kerry has now touched down in Paris. 
 
 <noframe>Twitter: Andrea Mitchell - .<a href="http://www.twitter.com/JohnKerry" target="_blank">@JohnKerry</a> arriving now Paris brought Ukraine's foreign minister with him to talks and will try to engineer meeting with Russian FM</noframe> 
 
 He's got Andrii Deshchytsia onboard his plane for talks in France with other European ministers. 
 
 21.29 Obama: Russia is not being strategic. A clip from the president's address today. 
 
 21.28 Our correspondent Roland Oliphant reports from a military stand off at Belbek air base in Crimea 
 
 20.26 More than 1,000 demonstrators with Ukrainian flags took to the streets of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Tuesday, for the first time outnumbering pro-Moscow youths who have seized its government building, which flies the Russian flag, Reuters reports. 
 
 President Vladimir Putin's declaration on Saturday that Russia had the right to invade Ukraine was accompanied by pro-Russian demonstrations across Ukraine's mainly Russian-speaking south and east. 
 
 But in the four days since, the tide of opinion in eastern cities appears to be turning back towards Kiev. 
 
 Bearing placards with slogans such as: "I am Russian. I don't need protection," the protesters marched near the occupied regional government building, staying far enough away to avoid clashing with the pro-Russian youths still inside. 
 
 19.52 Russia said it had successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, with tensions high over its seizure of control in the Crimea and its threat to send more forces to its neighbour Ukraine, according to a Reuters report. 
 
 The Strategic Rocket Forces launched an RS-12M Topol missile from the southerly Astrakhan region and the dummy warhead hit its target at a proving ground in Kazakhstan, Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Yegorov told state-run news agency RIA. 
 
 The Pentagon has told Luis Martinez of ABC News that the United States had been notified of the test, which was planned ahead of the recent and current unrest in Ukraine. 
 
 19.44 A UN envoy is en route to Crimea to assess the situation in the region, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky has said amid a confrontation between Russia and Ukraine. 
 
 The UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson has asked Robert Serry "to travel to Crimea to take stock and evaluate the situation there," Nesirky said. 
 
 18.06 Baroness Ashton held "useful" talks in Madrid today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. 
 
 "We had a useful discussion which lasted over an hour," a European diplomatic source quoted the EU foreign policy chief as saying after the meeting held in the Russian ambassador's residence in Madrid. 
 
 17.52 The Russia Today host who criticised Kremlin (see below) has been sent to Crimea, Josie Ensor reports: 
 
 Russia Today management told Channel 4 that Miss Martin had been "misled by American mainstream media". 
 
 However, in Russia Today's official statement released on Tuesday afternoon it said: "Contrary to the popular opinion, RT doesn’t beat its journalists into submission, and they are free to express their own opinions, not just in private but on the air. This is the case with Abby’s commentary on the Ukraine. 
 
 "We respect her views, and the views of all our journalists, presenters and program hosts, and there will be absolutely no reprimands made against Ms. Martin. 
 
 "In her comment Ms. Martin also noted that she does not possess a deep knowledge of reality of the situation in Crimea. As such we’ll be sending her to Crimea to give her an opportunity to make up her own mind from the epicentre of the story." 
 
 A Russian soldier watches Ukrainian servicemen at Belbek airport in the Crimea region 
 
 16.57 Barack Obama has also been speaking at a school in Washington. He said Russian "meddling" pushes nations away from Moscow and that Vladimir Putin's rationale for his incursion into Crimea was not "fooling anybody": 
 
 There is a strong belief that Russia's action is violating international law. President Putin seems to have a different set of lawyers making a different set of interpretations. I don't think that's fooling anybody. 
 
 Secretary of State John Kerry places roses on the Shrine of the Fallen in Kiev 
 
 16.26 John Kerry is talking in Kiev: 
 
 The US reaffirms its commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty. The United States reaffirms its commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. According to international law, we condemn the Russian Federation's act of aggression. There is nothing strong in what Russia is doing. 
 
 These brave Ukrainians took to the streets to stand against tyranny and demand democracy, but instead they were met with snipers and picked off one after another. 
 
 The Russian government would have you believe that Russian actions are legitimate. 
 
 The larger point is that diplomacy, not force, can solve disputes like this in the 21st century. 
 
 The United States would prefer to see this de-escalate. [But if Russia does not continue this path, the US ] will isolate Russia poilitically, diplomatically and economically. 
 
 This is the 21st century and we should not see nations step back to the 19th or 20th century. 
 
 Ukrainians warm themselves next to a fire at Kiev's Independence Square 
 
 15.56 Ukrainian and Russian governments have begun high-level contacts on the crisis in Ukraine, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk has said. 
 
 15.05 A Russia Today presenter has apparently gone massively off message. In a report on the Kremlin-funded Russia Today television station, Abby Martin said she "wanted to say something from my heart about the ongoing political crisis in Ukraine and Russia's military occupation of Crimea". 
 
 Just because I work here, for RT, doesn't mean I don't have editorial independence and I can't stress enough how strongly I am against any military intervention in sovereign nations' affairs. 
 
 What Russia did is wrong. 
 
 14.55 David Cameron, speaking in Coventry, said: 
 
 On the issue of Ukraine and our attitude towards Russia, we should be very clear about this; Britain is working with our allies and partners, with America, with France and Germany, the leaders of which I spoke to yesterday through the European Union to make sure we take a very clear and strong approach in two vital respects. 
 
 First of all, to say to the people of Ukraine we back your ability to choose your own future. 
 
 You should be able to choose the path you take and you'll have the support of countries like Britain, France and Germany, the EU and America in doing so and we'll obviously be working through the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and other organisations to give Ukraine and the people of Ukraine the chance to choose that future. 
 
 We'll also be sending a very clear message, and are sending a very clear message, to the Government in Russia that what has happened is unacceptable. 
 
 A child plays near Russian soldiers as they guard the gate of a Ukrainian infantry base in Perevalne 
 
 14.45 Russian navy ships are blocking both ends of the Kerch Strait, Ukraine border guards have said - Reuters. 
 
 14.42 Channel 4's Lindsey Hilsum tweets: 
 
 <noframe>Twitter: Lindsey Hilsum - Suddenly masked paramilitaries turned up at <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23Belbek" target="_blank">#Belbek</a> airforce base <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23Crimea" target="_blank">#Crimea</a>. Said they were from <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23Sevastopol" target="_blank">#Sevastopol</a> <a href="http://t.co/FOtg4fLPUN" target="_blank">http://t.co/FOtg4fLPUN</a></noframe> 
 
 14.38 The Kremlin has released a full transcript of Vladimir Putin's press conference. 
 
 14.25 Dr Liam Fox, Britain's former defence secretary, has told the BBC that the intervention in Ukraine was the latest example of a "thuggish pattern of behaviour" by Russia: 
 
 Much of this crisis was made in the Kremlin and there are those there who have never really got over the idea of the break-up of the Soviet Union. 
 
 Their insistence on having what they call 'the near abroad', in other words those countries that they demand to have control over, is anachronistic and destabilising. 
 
 We have to make very clear at all times that sovereign nations have to be able to exercise their self-determination free from hindrance and interference. 
 
 A coffin with the body of Volodymyr Topiy, 59, who was found burned in the house of trade unions during recent clashes, is carried along a street during his funeral in Kiev's Independence Square 
 
 13.45 Reuters reports that an official travelling with John Kerry in Kiev said: 
 
 We want to very visibly embrace Ukraine. Part of that is through an IMF package, part of it will be through bilateral assistance but in conjunction with our partners to try to support Ukraine. 
 
 13.44 The Turkish Air Force scrambled eight F-16 fighter jets on Monday after a Russian surveillance plane flew parallel along its Black Sea coast, the military has said. 
 
 US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Kiev 
 
 13.34 A good piece from Patrick Donahue and Tino Andresen at Bloomberg on the complex relationship between Germany and Russia - and Merkel and Putin: 
 
 While Merkel and Putin have clashed over topics from civil liberties and gas imports to art looted by the Soviets at the end of World War II, they have a shared history. 
 
 A Lutheran pastor’s daughter who faced discrimination at her East German school due to her father’s religion, Merkel learned Russian so diligently that she won prizes and a trip to Moscow. Putin is a fluent German speaker who served as a KGB officer in the East German city of Dresden during the Cold War. 
 
 13.03 We have put together some graphics and maps to help explain what is at stake in Ukraine: 
 
 12.38 In the House of Commons, William Hague has praised Ukraine's interim government for refusing to rise to Russia's ''deliberate provocation'': 
 
 I commend the Ukrainian authorities for refusing to rise to provocation and I urged them yesterday when I was in Kiev to maintain that posture through all circumstances and at all times. And I believe they will be determined to do so. 
 
 This continues to be a serious risk, particularly that deliberate provocation could give rise to a dangerous incident. 
 
 12.32 US officials say the White House will announce $1 billion in energy aid to Ukraine, AFP reports. 
 
 12.25 John Kerry's plane has landed in Kiev. 
 
 12.18 Roland Oliphant reports from the Belbek airforce base that the standoff is now over. Ukrainian troops have retreated. 
 
 Russian troops order Ukrainian troops back at Belbek airforce base 
 
 13.06 Here's footage of the Russian soldiers firing warning shots as Ukrainians approach on Belbek airport, demanding their jobs back. 
 
 11.50 Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, is also speaking - he states that Moscow's move in Crimea was correct and that forces had seized arms and explosives. 
 
 Unarmed Ukrainian troops confront soldiers under Russian command occupying the Belbek airbase in Crimea 
 
 11.12 Vladimir Putin still speaking. He claims that sanctions will backfire on the West and denies that Russian forces had surrounded Ukraine bases in Crimea. He added that deposed Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych had no political future but asserted he was legally still head of state. "I think that he has no political future. And I told him this," Mr Putin said, 
 
 11.10 Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe will go to the Crimea region where Russian forces have taken control, Ukraine's top security official, Andriy Paruby, has said, adding that the situation in Crimea was complicated but stable. 
 
 Vladimir Putin speaks on TV 
 
 10.40 Vladimir Putin is speaking, claiming there has been an "unconstitutional takeover" in Ukraine. Putin says that Yanukovich fulfilled all conditions of the February 21 agreement with the opposition and that he effectively gave up all power. 
 
 There can only be one assessment of what happened in Kiev and Ukraine as a whole - this was an anti-constitutional takeover and armed seizure of power. 
 
 The acting president is not legitimate. The legitimate president is Yanukovich. 
 
 Ukraine is not our closest neighbour but is our brother. Ukrainian troops and Russian troops will not be on different sides of the barricade, they will be on the same side of the barricade. 
 
 [There is no need to use force in Crimea or send troops to Ukraine] but Russia will do so as a last resort. Russia reserves the right to use all means to protect citizens in Ukraine. 
 
 Market turmoil is a tactical, temporary decision by investors... Russia is ready to host the G8 but [if Western leaders do not want to attend] they don't need to. 
 
 Russian and Ukrainian troops face off at Belbek airbase in Crimea 
 
 10.33 Telegraph correspondent, Roland Oliphant, reports from Crimea: 
 
 The most intense conflict yet in the Russian takeover of Crimea is currently underwayat the Belbek airforce base. It was occupied by Russian forces some days ago, but this morning the Ukrainian garrison commander led his men back to the base unarmed and demanded access to their weapons. 
 
 The Russians responded by firing in the air, which led to the ongoing stand-off. A Ukrainian officer, who did not want to be named, told me that if the Ukrainina forces had arrived armed, there is "no doubt" the Russians would have shot them all. 
 
 10.24 John Kerry, US secretary of state, is on his way to Kiev to give support to its new leaders. He stopped off in New York to visit his new granddaughter, who was born Monday morning: 
 
 Secretary of State John Kerry boards his plane at Andrews Air Force Base en route to Ukraine 
 
 10.21 Russia's Gazprom announces it is to end gas price discount for Ukraine from April 
 
 10.03 Ukraine prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, is to meet EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday. Herman Van Rompuy, EU president, tweeted: 
 
 <noframe>Twitter: Herman Van Rompuy - EU HoSG will discuss situation in <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23Ukraine" target="_blank">#Ukraine</a> with PM Yatsenyuk in Brussels Thursday prior to extraordinary summit <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23euco" target="_blank">#euco</a> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/Yatsenyuk_AP" target="_blank">@Yatsenyuk_AP</a></noframe> 
 
 09.51 Germany's foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, says there is "no solution in sight" to the Ukraine crisis after a "difficult" meeting in Geneva with Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov: 
 
 I had a difficult, long and very serious talk but it wasn't enough to say that a solution is in sight. 
 
 I can't run up a flag to say that we are on the way to finding a solution and that Ukraine and Russia are about to start talking. 
 
 Russian military armoured personnel carriers (APC) drive on the road from Sevastopol to Simferopol 
 
 09.45 What are the potential ramifications of the Ukraine crisis for the UK economy: 
 
 Much has changed in the past decade in financial relations between Britain and Russia – and not just for Chelsea FC, whose on–pitch success has been funded by owner Roman Abramovich. 
 
 His fellow oligarchs have fuelled the London property market, with Knight Frank data showing that Russians were the biggest foreign buyers of £1m–plus homes in the capital last year, spending more than £500m on some estimates. Their regular rows have also kept the UK legal profession in pocket. 
 
 09.34 Vladimir Putin is due to give his first comments on the Ukraine crisis in a press conference this morning. 
 
 Ukrainian service men wait in a column at Belbek airport 
 
 09.28 Fears of an assault by Russian forces on Ukrainian military bases surrounded in Crimea did not materialise overnight. Vladyslav Seleznyov, the defence ministry spokesman for Crimea, told AFP: 
 
 The night was quiet... No more declarations have been made by the Russian side. 
 
 09.20 Telegraph video of Vladimir Putin inspecting troops in western Russia yesterday: 
 
 09.12 Ukraine's parliament ratified an agreement on Tuesday to accept a 610 million euro loan from the European Union, agreed in February 2013 but never ratified under deposed pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovich. 
 
 09.01 A Kremlin aide has said that Russia could reduce to zero its economic dependency on the United States. Sergei Glazyev, Kremlin economic aide said: 
 
 We would find a way not just to reduce our dependency on the United States to zero but to emerge from those sanctions with great benefits for ourselves. 
 
 An attempt to announce sanctions would end in a crash for the financial system of the United States, which would cause the end of the domination of the United States in the global financial system. 
 
 09.00 London (GMT), 11.00 Kiev (EET), 13.00 Moscow (MSK), 01.00 Washington (PST) Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the Ukraine crisis ||||| CLOSE Skip in Skip x Embed x Share Late Wednesday afternoon, President BArack Obama spoke with our KSDK-TV, St. Louis, about whether American troops are an option if the sanctions against Russia don't work. 
 
 President Barack Obama speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on March 17, 2014. (Photo: Susan Walsh, AP) 
 
 WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said Wednesday there is currently no military option on the table in Ukraine following a decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin making Crimea part of the Russian Federation. 
 
 "We do not need to trigger an actual war with Russia," Obama said in an interview with KSDK-TV. "The Ukrainians don't want that, nobody would want that. 
 
 "But what we can do is stand up for principle, stand by the Ukrainian people." 
 
 He expressed support for legislation that would give aid and assistance to Ukraine, as well as stricter economic sanctions against Russia. 
 
 STORY: Russia takes over Ukraine's military bases, officers 
 
 STORY: Timeline: Key events in Ukraine 
 
 "We've sent a clear message to Mr. Putin that we'll probably be doing more stuff over the next several days, and ultimately, if we see the continuation of the process, then in coordination with our European allies, you can expect even more disruptive economic actions that could end up having a significant impact on the Russian economy." 
 
 Ukraine's government said Wednesday it will pull its troops from Crimea, where Russian troops and Crimean allies are seizing military bases and officers. 
 
 Contributing: USA TODAY 
 
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– The US won't be sending troops to Crimea anytime soon. President Obama effectively ruled out a military response to Russia's land grab yesterday, USA Today reports. "We do not need to trigger an actual war with Russia," he told KSDK-TV, in an interview ostensibly about raising the minimum wage. "The Ukrainians don't want that, nobody would want that." But Obama said to expect "even more disruptive economic actions that could have a significant impact on the Russian economy." In other Ukraine news: Russian forces freed Ukraine's captured navy commander today, after Ukraine demanded the release of all hostages in Crimea, CNN reports. If they weren't freed by 9pm, acting President Oleksandr Turchynov threatened to take "technical and technological" action—meaning, likely, turning off Crimea's utilities. Russia's defense minister asked Crimea to free the hostages. Even though Ukraine is reportedly pulling troops from the region, its parliament issued a declaration today saying that it still considered Crimea part of the Ukraine, and that "the Ukrainian people will never, under no circumstances, stop fighting for the liberation of Crimea from the occupants." European leaders met today in Sevastopol to discuss further punitive action against Russia, with Angela Merkel saying the EU would issue more travel bans and asset freezes against Russians, the Washington Post reports. But analysts say the measures aren't strong enough to change Russian behavior. Ukraine, too, is taking only restrained steps. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk yesterday backed off Kiev's threat to impose a visa regime, saying it would likely be ineffective, and would inconvenience many Ukrainians. Russia, meanwhile, pulled out a threat of its own. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia might revise its stance on Iran's nuclear program in response to US and EU sanctions. "We wouldn't like to use these talks as an element of the game of raising the stakes," he said, according to the AP. "But if they force us into that, we will take retaliatory measures."