Obama, EU and NATO declared the referendum in Crimea illegal
Washington - Kyiv, March 06 (Navigator, Mikhail Ryabov) - American President Barack Obama, as well as the leaders of the European Union, sharply criticized the decision of the Crimean parliament to annex the autonomy to Russia and hold a corresponding referendum.
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According to The Associated Press, Obama said that a referendum on the future of the Crimean peninsula would violate international law: “The proposed referendum on the future of Crimea would violate the Constitution and violate international law.”
The United States accused Russia of threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. As a protest measure, the White House decided to introduce visa restrictions for Russian citizens. Financial sanctions await “those who are directly involved in the destabilization of Ukraine, including military intervention in Crimea.”
However, the restrictions are not aimed directly at Vladimir Putin.
Obama is confident that any decisions about the future of Crimea should be made by the new government of Ukraine.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the possibility of freezing the accounts of Russian officials in her country if the Russian Federation’s actions in Crimea are not stopped and troops are withdrawn.
In addition, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Jan Tombinsky called the decision of the Crimean parliament illegitimate and violating the Constitution of Ukraine. He stressed that the referendum can only be all-Ukrainian.
Meanwhile, the United States is confident that “American economic sanctions will mean little without the participation of European countries with much deeper trade relations with Russia.”
The North Atlantic Alliance also added its “five cents” regarding the referendum. Thus, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a conversation with Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk that “NATO stands for the right of every people to decide their own future, NATO stands for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the fundamental principles of international law.”
English version :: Read in English Obama, EU and NATO declared the referendum in Crimea illegal