WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Sunday’s referendum on Crimea would never be recognized by the United States.
The two leaders spoke after residents in Crimea voted overwhelmingly to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.
The White House says Obama told Putin the Crimean vote violates the Ukrainian constitution and occurred under duress of Russian military intervention. He said the U.S. was prepared to impose additional penalties on Russia.
Obama urged Putin to work with Ukraine as well as Western nations to resolve the crisis diplomatically. Obama also asked Putin to support the deployment of international monitors to help prevent violence in Ukraine as that country prepares for spring elections.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.