Crimea referendum plan condemned
UKRAINE
UKRAINE lurched toward breakup yesterday as lawmakers in Crimea unanimously declared they wanted to join Russia and would put the decision to voters in 10 days. United States President Barack Obama condemned the move and the West answered with the first real sanctions against Russia.
Speaking from the White House, Obama said any decisions on the future of Crimea, a proRussian area of Ukraine, must include the country’s new government.
‘‘The proposed referendum on the future of Crimea would violate the constitution and violate international law,’’ Obama said.
‘‘We are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders.’’
Russian President Vladimir Putin was almost certainly behind yesterday’s dramatic developments, but it was unclear whether he was aiming for outright annexation, or simply strengthening his hand in talks with the West.
The US moved to impose financial sanctions and travel restrictions on opponents of Ukraine’s new government and the EU also announced limited punitive measures against Putin’s government, including the suspension of trade and visa talks. Both Washington and the EU said they were discussing further sanctions.
‘‘I am confident that we are moving forward together, united in our determination to oppose actions that violate international law and to support the government and people of Ukraine,’’ Obama said.
Crimea’s parliament rammed through what amounted to a declaration of independence from Ukraine, announcing it would let the Crimean people, 60 per cent of whom are ethnic Russian, decide in a March 16 referendum whether they wanted to become part of their gigantic neighbour to the east.
‘‘This is our response to the disorder and lawlessness in Kiev,’’ said Sergei Shuvainikov, a member of the Crimean legislature. ‘‘We will decide our future ourselves.’’
Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk swiftly denounced the action.
‘‘This so-called referendum has no legal grounds at all,’’ he said. The country’s acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, later said Ukraine would move to dissolve Crimea’s parliament, but such an action would have virtually no practical effect.
Obama and Putin spoke by phone for nearly an hour – their first known contact since Saturday. The White House said Obama told Putin his country’s actions violated Ukraine’s sovereignty and that there was still a way to resolve the dispute diplomatically.
Earlier in the day, Obama signed an executive order authorising the Treasury Department to levy financial sanctions against ‘‘individuals and entities’’ deemed responsible for Russia’s military takeover in Crimea.
The US also imposed a separate ban on US visas for an unspecified and unidentified number of people the US accuses of threatening Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial borders.
The White House said the penalties would target ‘‘those who are most directly involved in destabilising Ukraine, including the military intervention in Crimea, and does not preclude further steps should the situation deteriorate’’. The sanctions were unlikely to directly target Putin.
The US actions came as EU leaders gathered at an emergency summit in Brussels to put in place their own measures, but appeared split over how forcefully to follow America’s lead. EU President Herman Van Rompuy said the bloc would suspend talks with Russia on a wide-ranging economic pact and on a visa deal, and would consider further measures if Russia did not quickly open meaningful dialogue.
The Europeans were divided between countries close to Russia’s borders, which want the bloc to stand up to Moscow, and some Western economic powerhouses – notably Germany – that were taking a more dovish line.
‘‘Not everyone will be satisfied with the decision, but I should say that we did much more together than one could have expected several hours ago,’’ Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
Meanwhile, in Moscow, a prominent member of Russia’s parliament, Sergei Mironov, said he had introduced a bill to simplify the procedure for Crimea to join Russia and it could be passed as soon as next week. Another senior lawmaker, Leonid Slutsky, said the parliament could consider such a motion after the referendum.
Earlier this week, Putin said Russia had no intention of annexing Crimea, while insisting its population had the right to determine the region’s status in a referendum. A popular vote would give Putin a democratic fig leaf for what would effectively be a formal takeover – although it was too early to tell whether such a move would actually go forward.
For Putin, Crimea would be a dazzling acquisition, and help cement his authority with a Russian citizenry that has in recent years shown signs of restiveness and still resents the loss of the sprawling empire Moscow ruled in Soviet times. The peninsula was once Russia’s imperial crown jewel, a lush land seized by Catherine the Great in the 18th century that evokes Russia’s claim to greatness as a world power.