A strike began in the coal mines in the city of Donetsk and spread throughout the Donbass region and across industrialized eastern Ukraine, prompting a political crisis and raising fears of economic collapse and ethnic conflict between western Ukraine and the Russian-speaking eastern half of the republic.
Ukraine president Leonid Kravchuk signed a disarmament agreement with Clinton and Yeltsin; the U.S. and Russia pledged security to Ukraine in the event of an attack.
The autonomous republic of Crimea elected Yuri A. Meshkov president. This move was supported by ethnic Russians but opposed by Ukraine. Tension was alleviated on June 3, when negotiators signed a pact reaffirming that Crimea is part of Ukraine.
