Developments in Ukraine

• The new Ukrainian govrernment and Russian officials have begun holding talks to discuss the situation in Crimea. This weekend, Russia sent troops to Crimea and is occupying the peninsula. No fighting has occurred as of Tuesday morning.
• Russian president Vladimir Putin defended the invasion if Ukraine, saying that Russia has a right to protect ethnic Russians in Crimea and that the deposition of Viktor Yanukovych was a coup. On Saturday, the Russian parliament voted unanimously to allow Putin to use the military to intervene in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Putin said that force would be a last resort.
• Turkey has announced that a Russian plane was seen flying along its Black Sea coast. The Crimean peninsula juts into the northern part of the Black Sea and Turkey's northern border is the southern part. Turkey controls the Bosporus and Dardenelles, two straights that connect the Mediterranean and Black Seas. These two straights are strategic to trade in Eastern Europe.
• The United States announced that it will give Ukraine $1 billion in energy aid. Many have speculated that Russia's interest in Ukraine lies mainly in the gas lines that run through the nation. Russia, in recent years, has grown to be the major energy provider to Europe.
• Russia announced plans to build a bridge linking Crimea and Russia. The plan has been discussed for several years, but Russia announced that it would proceed with plans this week. The bridge would allow Russia access to Crimea without having to travel through mainland Ukraine.
• United States Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Kiev today. He visited a shrine to those who died while protesting former president Viktor Yanukovych. Kerry has shown his support for the new government of Ukraine.
• While Russia has not had any specific sanctions put against them, the United States and NATO are discussing still-ambiguous economic sanctions against Russia. In addition, the G-7 nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) have suspended preparations to meet in Sochi, Russia, for a G-8 summit until Russia ends its occupation of Crimea.