US Secretary of State to travel to Kiev to show support for Ukraine

US officials said on March 2 that US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Kiev to show support for the new interim leaders in the Eastern European country after Russian forces took control of the Crimean peninsula.

"Secretary Kerry will travel to Kiev on March 4," a senior US administration official said, confirming that Russian forces "are now in full control of the Crimean peninsula."

Mr. John Kerry will visit Kiev. (Source: AFP/Getty Images)

Earlier, Secretary of State Kerry also warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that "he (Putin) will not be able to hold the G-8 Summit in Sochi, and he will not even be in the G8 if this situation continues. His own assets will be frozen, both Russian and American businesses may withdraw (investment), the ruble may collapse further."

Meanwhile, in a statement issued after a nearly eight-hour meeting, NATO urged the deployment of international observers to Ukraine to de-escalate tensions and the alliance's efforts to "engage" with Russia at NATO-Russia talks.

The statement said: "We urge both sides to immediately seek a peaceful solution through dialogue, deploy international observers to Ukraine under the auspices of the UN Security Council or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)"./.

According to VNA