WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama has condemned the proposed Crimean referendum to join Russia as illegal and has slapped visa restrictions and sanctions on Russians and Ukrainians deemed to have stolen Ukrainian assets and threatened the territorial integrity of the country.
Obama said Thursday that the Crimean referendum scheduled for March 16 violates the Ukrainian constitution and international law.
“Any discussion on the future of Ukraine must include the legitimate government of Ukraine,” he said. “In 2014 we are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders.”
[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]The U.S. State Department announced the visa restrictions Thursday morning, but did not name the persons or entities targeted. “The fact, frankly, that we have not yet designated individuals I think should be leading people in Russia, people in Crimea to be asking whether or not they’re going to see their name in a designation,” said one senior administration official who asked to remain anonymous.
At the same time, Obama issued an executive order authorizing sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for undermining Ukraine’s democracy, for threatening the peace and stability of the country and for misappropriating Ukrainian assets. Again, the U.S. did not name names.
“This (executive order ) is a flexible tool that will allow us to sanction those who are most directly involved in destabilizing Ukraine, including the military intervention in Crimea, and does not preclude further steps should the situation deteriorate,” the State Department said in a statement.
The U.S. had earlier denied visas to individuals it claims were involved in human rights abuses related to political oppression in Ukraine.
Obama also outlined what he called a “path of de-escalation.” He said Russia can resolve the crisis by allowing international monitors into all Ukraine including Crimea and by opening consultations directly with Ukraine with the participation of the international community.
“Russia would maintain its basing rights in Crimea provided that it abides by its agreements and respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
He warned Moscow that if its “violation of international law continues, the resolve of the United States and the international community will remain firm.”
Obama communicated his suggestions for a resolution of the mounting crisis in an hour-long telephone conversation late Thursday afternoon with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the White House.
Obama has asked congress to give the International Monetary Fund the assets it needs to lend money to Ukraine and provide American assistance for the Ukrainian government “so that (it) can weather this storm and stabilize the economy.”
Given Russians major role in the European economy, Obama’s options are limited. The EU has already frozen the bank accounts and other assets of Ukrainian leaders and officials who are alleged to have stolen billions of dollars from the state treasury. These include accounts connected to former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who fled last month to Russia where he has been granted political asylum.
Still, the EU remains reluctant to slap sanctions on Moscow because of strong trade relations. Eastern and Central Europe get most of its gas supplies from Russia. Overall, Russia supplies about 25 per cent of Europe’s natural gas through a labyrinth of pipelines, of which one-third travel through Ukraine.
In the past, Russia has accused Ukraine of siphoning off gas from Russian pipelines and during negotiations over pricing reduced gas shipments to that country, harming other European countries in the process.
Should Russia use the same tactics to punish or to destabilize Ukraine, gas supplies through Baltic and Polish pipelines would soften the impact on other European countries.
The U.S. congress is considering allowing gas exports to Europe should the tug-of-war over Ukraine lead Russia to curtail exports.
The U.S. has also suspended trade talks with Russia.
Meanwhile in Rome, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry emerged from discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with little more than tough talk to follow-up on the punitive actions taken by Obama.
“We believe that Russia … has the opportunity now to make the right choices in order to de-escalate” the crisis, he said. “We cannot allow Russia or any country to defy international law with impunity. There is no place in the community of nations for the kind of aggression and steps we have seen taken in Crimea and Ukraine.”
The U.S. administration’s moves came after broad criticism from Republicans in congress that Obama has shown weakness in dealing with the Ukraine crisis.
