Western leaders warn Russia consequences of Crimean annexation

German Chancellor Angela Merkel had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 9, reported the Deutsche Welle news agency. She told him the Crimean referendum planned for March 16 isn’t legitimate because it doesn’t adhere to Ukrainian law and international law. She expressed her regret that an international contact group wasn’t formed to find a political solution to the Crimean conflict and stressed the urgent need for significant results. In his turn, Putin said the Crimean government is legitimate and is taking steps that are justified by the norms of international law and the need for ensure the legal interests of Crimean residents.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a March 8 telephone conversation that the annexation of Crimea “will close all possible diplomatic doors for Russia” and he called for maximum restraint, reported the Reuters news agency.

The U.S. military is prepared to back up NATO if the unrest in Ukraine escalates, reported on March 7 Joint Chief Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey. “We’re trying to tell [Russia] not to escalate this thing furtherinto eastern Ukraine and allow the conditions to be set for some kind of resolution in Crimea,” Dempsey said in an interview with PBS Newshour’s Judy Woodruff. “But the message we are sending militarily is to our NATO allies,” he said. When asked if these is a chance of U.S. military intervention, Dempsey replied, “That’s a question I that I think deserves to be assessed and reassessed and refreshed as this thing evolves.”