U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin Sunday evening, a tense call on which Obama promised further "costs" for a referendum in Crimea the U.S. and international community will never recognize.
The head of the referendum committee said more than 90 percent of Crimeans had voted in favor of annexation by Russia. In its readout of the call, the White House put the word "referendum" in scare quotes, signifying that it didn't respect the alleged result of the referendum it has long considered to be illegitimate and illegal.
The White House also said Obama told Putin to prepare for additional "costs," likely in the form of sanctions that could be handed down this week.
"President Obama emphasized that the Crimean 'referendum,' which violates the Ukrainian constitution and occurred under duress of Russian military intervention, would never be recognized by the United States and the international community," the White House said in its readout.
"He emphasized that Russia’s actions were in violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and that, in coordination with our European partners, we are prepared to impose additional costs on Russia for its actions. President Obama underscored that there remains a clear path for resolving this crisis diplomatically, in a way that addresses the interests of both Russia and the people of Ukraine."
In its own readout of the call, the Kremlin said Putin defended the Crimean referendum as legitimate and legal. Putin said it was necessary after the new Ukrainian government failed ot "curb rampant violence by ultra-nationalist and radical groups that destabilize the situation and terrorize civilians, including Russian-speaking population."
Tensions have risen in the region over the past few days, as Ukraine accused pro-Russian forces of making their first move outside Crimea and into eastern Ukraine on Saturday —a move the White House said was concerning. Crimea's deputy prime minister said Sundayhe thinks Crimea's referendum is "only the first step."
美国总统奥巴马3月16日晚与俄罗斯总统普京举行电话会谈。奥巴马在会谈中指出，克里米亚公投不会得到美国和国际社会的认可。
公投委员会领导人称超过90%的克里米亚人赞成克里米亚入俄。在通话纪要中，白宫将“公投”二字加上了引号，这就表示美国方面不认可克里米亚公投入俄的结果。美国一直认为克里米亚公投既非法又不合理。
白宫方面还表示，奥巴马告诉普京要“准备为其行为付出更高代价”。美国本周可能将宣布制裁措施。
白宫在通话纪要中表示，“奥巴马总统强调克里米亚公投入俄行为是在俄罗斯的武力威胁下进行的，违反了乌克兰宪法，美国和国际社会不会承认。”
“奥巴马总统强调俄罗斯的种种行为是在破坏乌克兰的主权和领土完整。美国或将联合欧盟，加强对俄罗斯实施相关制裁措施。奥巴马总统还强调乌克兰危机可以通过很明确的外交手段来解决，这样可以同时保护俄罗斯人民和乌克兰人民的利益。”
克里姆林宫也发表声明称，普京指出克里米亚公投完全符合国际法和联合国宪章的相关规定。普京表示乌克兰府无力平息极端民族主义者和激进组织的猖獗暴力行动，而这些暴力行动使局势动荡不安，让包括俄语人口在内的公民惶恐不安，因此有必要进行公投。
过去几天里，克里米亚局势颇为紧张。基辅当局指控3月15日亲俄势力已经开始走出克里米亚的步，入侵到乌克兰东部地区了。白宫指出该行为令人担忧。克里米亚副总理3月16日表示他认为克里米亚公投仅是“步”。
