You're reading: Steinmeier: Russia’s actions in Crimea attempt to split Europe

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said Russia's annexation of Crimea has brought about the worst confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cold War.

Speaking at a briefing in Kyiv after talks with Ukraine’s Premier Arseniy Yatseniuk, Steinmeier said the international community must not let the Ukraine-Russia crisis create a new division of Europe.

The referendum in Crimea and as a result integration of Crimea into Russian Federation, violate the international law and can’t be accepted by the European community, he stressed.