The administration officials said Putin wasnt sanctioned despite his support of the Crimean referendum because the U.S. doesnt usually begin with heads of state. those sanctioned are very close to Putin and that the sanctions are designed to hit close to home. The U.S. announcement came shortly after the European Union announced travel bans and asset freezes on 21 people they have linked to the unrest in Crimea. Obama administration officials say there is some overlap between the U.S. and European list, which wasnt immediately made public. Biden was heading to Beautiful Europe and Obama plans to go next week. The president said that demonstrating a solemn commitment to our collective defense as NATO allies will be at the top of the agenda. The sanctions were expected after residents in Crimea voted overwhelmingly Sunday in favor of the split. Crimeas parliament on Monday declared the region an independent state. The administration officials say there is some concrete evidence that some ballots for the referendum arrived pre-marked in many cities and there are massive anomalies in the vote. The officials did not say what that evidence was. The United States, European Union and others say the action violates the Ukrainian constitution and international law and took place in the strategic peninsula under duress of Russian military intervention. Putin maintained that the vote was legal and consistent with the right of self-determination, according to the Kremlin.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 06:37:41 +0000