US president Barack Obama has described Crimea’s proposed referendum on breaking away from Ukraine to join Russia as illegal and called again on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to de-escalate the crisis.
Mr Obama said the proposed referendum, planned for March 16th, would “violate the Ukrainian constitution and violate international law.”
The US president said that any decisions on the future of Crimea, where ethnic Russians are in the majority, must include Ukraine’s new government.
“In 2014 we are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders,” Mr Obama said in a statement.
Mr Obama urged Russia to resolve the crisis by calling again for international monitors to be allowed into Crimea. He was pleased that “international unity is on display at this important moment”.
He warned that if the Kremlin didn’t de-escalate and “this violation of international law continues, the resolve of the United States and our allies and international community will remain firm.”
The president was speaking after imposing visa restrictions and economic sanctions on Russian and Ukrainians his administration holds responsible for what it says is the undermining of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Executive order
Mr Obama signed an executive order imposing sanctions on "individuals and entities responsible for activities undermining democratic processes or institutions in Ukraine".
“There needs to be costs and consequences for Russia on what they have already done in Crimea,” said a senior US administration official.
The visa restrictions and executive order introducing sanctions would give the US “flexibility to calibrate and escalate” the response to further Russian actions in Ukraine.
The US has not disclosed the individuals or companies being targeted by the visa restrictions and sanctions but noted that the visa bans would apply to both Russians and Ukrainians and that the process of identifying the individuals and companies to be targeted by the US had already begun.
Asked if ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich would face sanctions, a US official noted that anyone complicit in undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty is on notice that they may be targeted.
