Durbin calls for Russian troops to leave Ukraine
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is condemning Russia for sending military troops into the Crimean region of Ukraine.
The Springfield Democrat introduced a resolution Wednesday calling for the troops' withdrawal and a negotiated settlement of any issues involving Crimea.
Durbin also spoke on the Senate floor about a meeting he held last weekend in Chicago's Ukrainian Village neighborhood. He says he asked community members to gather after church for a conference call with the American ambassador in Kiev.
Durbin says he found an "overflow crowd" of concerned Ukrainian Americans and others. He says many were worried about family and friends still living in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Crimea, a pro-Russian peninsula in southeastern Ukraine, after the government ousted its Moscow-friendly leader last month.