Putin Visit To Crimea Angers U.S. A nd E.U.

The U.S. State department said the trip was "provocative and unnecessary "

The Kiev government called it a "gross violation of Ukraine's sovereignty"

Mr.Putin praised Crimea for joining Russia , as he marked the soviet victory over the Nazi's in World War Two , as he visited , there were deadly new clashes in South Eastern Ukraine

Ukraine's Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said at least 20 Pro Russian activists and a Ukrainian Security officer died in clashes in the port of Mariupol

The government said there was a gun battle when Pro Russian activists tried to storm a Police H.Q.

However , some local witnesses accused the Security Forces of opening fire on unarmed protesters who had entered the building , local officials put the casualties at seven dead and 39 injured

Crimea voted to join Russia in March , in a referendum dismissed by Kiev and the West as illegal

Pro Russian separatists in Ukraine's Eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions are planning to hold secession referendums on Sunday

The separatists remain in control of many official buildings across the East despite a military operation by Kiev to remove them , dozens have been killed in the unrest

U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki called Mr.Putin's trip provocative and unnecessary , adding "Crimea belongs to Ukraine and we don't recognize of course the illegal and illegitimate steps by Russia in that regard"''

U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Laura Magnuson said the visit "only served to fuel tension"

Maja Kocijancic , a spokeswoman for E.U. Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton , said the E.U. "regretted" the presence of Mr.Putin at a military parade in Crimea's port of Sevastopol

"An important day in our shared history , dedicated to honouring the enormous sacrifices and giving remembrance to the millions of dead in the second world war , should not have been instrumentalised to give visibility to the illegal annexation of Crimea" she said

Nato's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Mr.Putin's visit was "inappropriate"

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov spoke again by telephone on Friday , but both sides later reiterated their stated positions

Ms. Psaki said Russia should tell the separatists to lay down their arms and abandon plans for secessionist  referendums