Russia has recalled its ambassador to Ukraine for consultations," after an opposition member in Kiev was elected interim president and pledged to seek integration with the European Union.
"Due to the escalation of the situation in Ukraine and the need for a comprehensive analysis of the situation, a decision has been made to recall the Russian Ambassador to Ukraine [Mikhail] Zurabov to Moscow for consultations," the foreign ministry said Sunday in an online statement.
The Ukrainian parliament on Sunday named its speaker Olexander Turchynov as interim president until new elections can be held on May 25.
Turchynov, the deputy head of the opposition Fatherland party and a close ally of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, said he would focus on closer integration with the EU.
But he added that he was "open to dialogue with Russia" as long as Moscow "takes into account Ukraine's European choice," AFP reported.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the opposition in Kiev had in effect seized power through violence, Reuters reported, citing a ministry statement.
Last November, former President Viktor Yanukovych rejected a planned association deal with the EU in favor of closer ties with Russia, triggering anti-government protests that over the weekend toppled him from power.
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