Reuters: Leaks, barbs, dirty tricks as Russia, West feud over Ukraine

Published Feb. 7, 2014 at 1:19 pm

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt on Feb. 6 huddle around Pyatt's iPad with opposition leaders Oleh Tiahnybok, Arseniy Yatseniuk and Vitali Klitschko. Pyatt's tweeted comment: \"Enjoying Dima's tweet here in Kyiy.\" It is a reference to Dmitry Loskutov, assistant to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who was among the first to tweet the link to the leaked phone call. Washington believes Russia is behind the eavesdropping of the private Nuland-Pyatt telephone conversation and the public release, hoping to create a split between America and its European allies.

Photo by Courtesy

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 U.S. diplomats discussing how to shape a new government in Kyiv.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared to open the Winter Olympics at Sochi, the first Games in Russia since the Soviet Union hosted the 1980 summer edition, the showdown over Ukraine produced frosty Cold War rhetoric, with a Kremlin aide warning Moscow might act to block U.S. “interference” in Kyiv.