DHAKA: German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned on Saturday that developments in Ukraine over the past few hours were dangerous and urged Russia to explain its intentions regarding its troops in the Crimea region.

‘The situation in Crimea in particular has become considerably more acute. Whoever pours more oil onto the flames now, with words or actions, is consciously aiming for further escalation of the situation.’

‘Everything Russia does in Crimea must be in keeping with the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and treaties on Russia’s Black Sea fleet,’ he said, reports thestar.com.

‘We are holding the Russian government to its public statements on this. And this entails also that Russia provides without delay complete transparency over the movements of its troops in Crimea, as well as its goals and intentions behind these.’

BDST: 1933 HRS, MAR 01, 2014