Putin, U.S. up ante after vote

Sanctions imposed, Ukraine, Russia ready troops as Duma considers Crimea’s annexation

MOSCOW Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the Crimean region of Ukraine as a sovereign independent state Monday, ignoring Western sanctions against some of his top officials.

The White House and the European Union declared Sunday’s referendum in Crimea a violation of international law and followed up with travel bans and freezing of assets of Russian and Crimean officials who supported a break from Ukraine.

The sanctions came as Crimean lawmakers were already in Moscow to ask the Russia parliament to annex Crimea. The lower house of parliament, or Duma, was expected to take up the issue today following an address by Putin.

Putin recognized Crimea as a “sovereign and independent” state as a result of the “will of the people of Crimea” as expressed in Sunday’s referendum, Russian ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

In Kiev, the parliament endorsed a plan to mobilize 40,000 reservists to counter Russia’s “blatant aggression” in Crimea and to protect possible Russian incursions in southern and eastern parts of the country, said the country’s defense minister Andriy Parubiy.

Ukraine’s acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, vowed that his country will not give up Crimea to Russia.

“We are ready for negotiations, but we will never resign ourselves to the annexation of our land,” Turchynov said in a televised address to the nation. “We will do everything in order to avoid war and the loss of human lives.”

President Obama issued an executive order leveling new sanctions against seven Russian officials he says have contributed to the crisis in Ukraine and said the measures would “increase costs on Russia.”

“If Russia continues to interfere in Ukraine, we stand ready to impose further sanctions,” Obama said.

The European Union said other measures would be adopted in a few days when EU leaders meet for a summit in Brussels.

Andrew Weiss, a White House expert on Russia and Ukraine under President Clinton, said the West must consider passing sanctions that will hurt.

“There’s not enough bite in the package,” he said. “You have to ask yourself what’s the purpose and it’s not clear.”

Putin said he would address both houses of the Russian parliament today to say what Russia should do. Thousands of Russian troops are drilling on Ukraine’s border, raising fears that Putin may also intercede in eastern Ukrainian cities where substantial populations of ethnic Russians also want to join with Moscow.

“I think there will be war,” said Oleg Hadimov, who was collecting donations in Kiev for those injured during the winter protests. “The Ukrainian army is not suited (to a fight against Russia), but the people will prevail.”