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Regarding Ukraine specifically, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham asked if the Pentagon would provide Ukraine with arms support in the hypothetical event of a larger Russian invasion of the country.

Such a decision would be for President Barack Obama to make, Hagel responded. He said efforts now centre on ensuring Russian troops return to their barracks in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has a lease until 2042, and allowing Ukraine’s new government to prepare for elections in two months’ time.

“This needs to be de-escalated, where the tensions are down, the troops go back to their base, the new government is allowed to govern,” Hagel said.

Also Wednesday, Republicans and Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee introduced a resolution condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine and calling on the Obama administration to impose “visa, financial, trade and other sanctions” on Russian government officials, state-owned banks and companies. The resolution will be addressed by the committee Thursday.

Meanwhile, a separate House bill circulated Wednesday to pay for loan guarantees to be extended to Ukraine.

The UN deputy secretary-general has denied reports from Ukrainian officials that a UN special envoy was kidnapped in Crimea.

Jan Eliasson says special envoy Robert Serry was threatened by 10 to 15 armed men as he was leaving naval headquarters in Crimea but that he was not abducted. Eliasson says the armed men ordered Serry to leave Crimea and go to the airport. Eliasson said Serry refused but he couldn’t move because his car was blocked so he got out and started walking away.

Eliasson, who is in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, spoke to reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York by telephone. He said he had spoken to Serry 20 minutes earlier.

Serry “is in good shape physically. He is not kidnapped,” Eliasson said. “He is now walking back to his hotel after stopping by in a cafe to get guidance to reach the hotel.”