Obama’s Warnings Brushed Aside by Russia’s Putin

Associated PressPublished: March 7, 2014

SEVASTOPOL, UKRAINE - MARCH 07: A Russian warship, part of a blockade of Ukrainian ships, is viewed in Sevastopol harbor on March 7, 2014 in Sevastopol, Ukraine. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, world leaders are pushing for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation. Crimean citizens will vote in a referendum on 16 March on whether to become part of the Russian federation. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

JULIE PACE, AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — One by one, President Barack Obama's warnings to Russia are being brushed aside by President Vladimir Putin, who appears to be speeding up efforts to formally stake his claim to Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.

In the week since Obama declared there would be "costs" if Putin pressed into Crimea, Russian forces have taken control of the region and a referendum has been scheduled to decide its future.

Obama declared the vote a violation of international law, but in a region where ethnic Russians are the majority, the referendum seems sure to become another barrier to White House efforts to compel Putin to pull back in Crimea.

If Crimea votes to join Russia, the referendum could also put Obama in the awkward position of opposing the outcome of a popular vote.