WASHINGTON — As Russia dispatched more forces and tightened its grip on the Crimean Peninsula on Sunday, President Obama embarked on a strategy intended to isolate Moscow and prevent it from seizing more Ukrainian territory even as he was pressured at home to respond more forcefully.
Working the telephone from the Oval Office, Mr. Obama rallied allies, agreed to send Secretary of State John Kerry to Kiev and approved a series of diplomatic and economic moves intended to “make it hurt,” as one administration official put it. But the president found himself besieged by advice to take more assertive action.
“Create a democratic noose around Putin’s Russia,” urged Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina. “Revisit the missile defense shield,” suggested Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida. “Cancel Sochi,” argued Representative Mike Rogers, the Michigan Republican who leads the Intelligence Committee, referring to the Group of 8 summit meeting to be hosted by President Vladimir V. Putin. Kick “him out of the G-8” altogether, said Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip.
Credit Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press
The Russian occupation of Crimea has challenged Mr. Obama as has no other international crisis, and at its heart, the advice seemed to pose the same question: Is Mr. Obama tough enough to take on the former K.G.B. colonel in the Kremlin? It is no easy task. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany told Mr. Obama by telephone on Sunday that after speaking with Mr. Putin she was not sure he was in touch with reality, people briefed on the call said. “In another world,” she said.
That makes for a crisis significantly different from others on Mr. Obama’s watch. On Syria, Iran, Libya and Egypt, the political factions in Washington have been as torn as the president over the proper balance of firmness and flexibility. But as an old nuclear-armed adversary returns to Cold War form, the consequences seem greater, the challenges more daunting and the voices more unified.
“It’s the most important, most difficult foreign-policy test of his presidency,” said R. Nicholas Burns, a career diplomat who became under secretary of state in the George W. Bush administration. “The stakes are very high for the president because he is the NATO leader. There’s no one in Europe who can approach him in power. He’s going to have to lead.”
Mr. Obama came to office with little foreign-policy experience and has been repeatedly tested by a new world in which the main threats are Islamic extremism and civil war. While increasing drone strikes and initially building up forces in Afghanistan, he has made it his mission to pull out of two long wars and keep out of any new ones.
But the limits of his influence have been driven home in recent weeks, with Syria pressing its war against rebels and Afghanistan refusing to sign an agreement allowing residual American forces. Now the Crimea crisis has presented Mr. Obama with an elemental threat reminiscent of the one that confronted his predecessors for four decades — a geopolitical struggle in the middle of Europe. First, the pro-Russian government in Kiev, now deposed, defied his warnings not to shoot protesters, and now Mr. Putin has ignored his admonitions to stay out of Ukraine.
Caught off guard, Mr. Obama is left to play catch-up. With thousands of reinforcements arriving Sunday to join what American officials estimated were 6,000 Russian troops, Mr. Putin effectively severed the peninsula, with its largely Russian-speaking population, from the rest of Ukraine.
“Russian forces now have complete operational control of the Crimean peninsula,” a senior administration official said on the condition of anonymity.
No significant political leaders in Washington urged a military response, but many wanted Mr. Obama to go further than he has so far. Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, has already devised language to serve as the basis for possible bipartisan legislation outlining a forceful response, including sanctions against Russia and economic support for Ukraine.
The president has spoken out against Mr. Putin’s actions and termed them a “breach of international law.” But he has left the harshest condemnations to Mr. Kerry, who on Sunday called them a “brazen act of aggression” and “a stunning willful choice by President Putin,” accusing him of “weakness” and “desperation.”
In addition to Ms. Merkel, Mr. Obama spoke with his counterparts from Britain and Poland on Sunday and won agreement from all the other G-8 countries to suspend preparations for the Sochi meeting and find ways to shore up the economically fragile Ukrainian government. The administration also canceled a trade mission to Moscow and a Russian trip to Washington to discuss energy while vowing to also scrap a naval-cooperation meeting with Russia.
In television interviews, Mr. Kerry suggested that the United States might impose sanctions, boycott the Sochi meeting in June and expel Russia from the G-8. Germany, however, publicly expressed opposition to expulsion, an ominous sign for Mr. Obama since any meaningful pressure would need support from Berlin.
But Mr. Obama offered Russia what aides called an “offramp,” a face-saving way out of the crisis, by proposing that European observers take the place of Russian forces in Crimea to guard against the supposed threats to the Russian-speaking population cited by the Kremlin as justification for its intervention.
Mr. Obama’s aides said that they saw no evidence of such threats and considered the claim a bogus pretext, and that they wanted to call Mr. Putin’s bluff. Privately, they said they did not expect Mr. Putin to accept, and they conceded that Mr. Obama probably could not reverse the occupation of Crimea in the short term. They said they were focusing on blocking any further Russian move into eastern Ukraine that would split the country in half.
Some regional specialists said Mr. Obama should ignore the talk-tough chorus and focus instead on defusing a crisis that could get much worse. Andrew Weiss, a national security aide to President Bill Clinton, said the Obama administration should be trying to keep Ukraine and Russia from open war. “For us to just talk about how tough we are, we may score some points but lose the war here,” Mr. Weiss said.
The crisis has trained a harsh spotlight on Mr. Obama’s foreign policy, with critics asserting that he has been too passive.
Mr. Corker traced the origins of Mr. Putin’s brash invasion to September when, in the face of bipartisan opposition in Congress, Mr. Obama pulled back from plans to conduct an airstrike on Syria in retaliation for a chemical-weapons attack on civilians. Instead, he accepted a Russian offer to work jointly to remove the chemical weapons.
“Ever since the administration threw themselves into the arms of Russia in Syria to keep from carrying out what they said they would carry out, I think, he saw weakness,” Mr. Corker said of Mr. Putin. “These are the consequences.”
Of course, had Mr. Obama proceeded with an attack, he would have paid a different price for ignoring the will of Congress and the grave misgivings of an American public weary of war. Republicans who opposed confrontation in Syria insist this is different.
Mr. Rubio, who opposed authorizing force in Syria, agreed that that conflict had serious ramifications for American interests. But he said the showdown in Crimea was about freedom itself and the hard-fought American victory over totalitarianism in the Cold War. In that sense, even Republicans who opposed Mr. Obama in Syria were pushing for a hard line against Mr. Putin.
“The very credibility of the post-Cold War world and borders is at stake here,” Mr. Rubio said in an interview.
Obama aides reject the notion that he has underestimated Mr. Putin. From the beginning, they said, he had a cold-eyed assessment of the possibilities and limitations of engagement with Mr. Putin. And they noted that neither President Bush’s reputation for toughness nor his courtship of Mr. Putin stopped Russia from going to war in 2008 with another neighbor, the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
While Mr. Obama has not gone as far as many in Washington want him to go, the president has been less focused on immediate actions than on making sure he and America’s traditional allies are on the same page. Working from the Oval Office over the weekend, wearing jeans and a scowl, he called several of his G-8 counterparts to “make sure everybody’s in lock step with what we’re doing and saying,” according to a top aide.
Administration officials said Mr. Putin had miscalculated and would pay a cost regardless of what the United States did, pointing to the impact on Russia’s currency and markets. “What we see here are distinctly 19th- and 20th-century decisions made by President Putin to address problems,” one of the officials said. “What he needs to understand is that in terms of his economy, he lives in the 21st-century world, an interdependent world.”
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Credit Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press
KIEV, Ukraine — With small military standoffs around Ukrainian bases continuing in Russian-controlled Crimea and deepening anxiety about Russian intentions in eastern Ukraine, British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Monday called Ukraine “the biggest crisis in Europe in the 21st century.”
Visiting the new government in Kiev, Mr. Hague urged Russia to pull back its forces in Crimea or face “significant costs,” echoing comments made by President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, who is due here on Tuesday.
Mr. Hague, speaking to the BBC from here, emphasized diplomacy. “There are diplomatic measures which we have started on already,” he said. “There are a range of other significant costs. I don’t want to anticipate at the moment what those will be, those will be discussed among my fellow E.U. foreign ministers today. They are also for discussion with the United States, Japan, Canada, other nations. But be in no doubt that there would be such costs. The world cannot just allow this to happen. The world cannot say it’s O.K. in effect to violate the sovereignty of another nation in this way.”
A series of maps that help explain the crisis in Ukraine.
European Union foreign ministers are to meet in another emergency session in Brussels later on Monday, while the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is also meeting and has sent two observers to Crimea. Washington has proposed sending monitors to Ukraine under the flag of either the United Nations or the O.S.C.E.
The government in Kiev also faces significant economic problems, and a team of economists from the International Monetary Fund is reportedly due here on Monday to analyze the budget situation. Officials in Kiev have said that they need $15 billion in new loans this year alone and a total of $35 billion over two years. But the fund director, Christine Lagarde, has said that there is no cause for panic and that the agency will await the report of the economists.
The uncertainty hit the Russian stock market and the ruble hard on Monday morning. The Russian central bank raised its key lending rate 1.5 percentage points after the ruble fell 2.5 percent to an all-time low against the dollar at the opening of exchange trading on Monday, while the Micex benchmark index of Moscow stocks sank 10 percent to 1,294 points. Gazprom, the Russian gas monopoly that supplies Europe through Ukraine, was down more than 13 percent.
Mr. Kerry warned on Sunday that Russia risked losing its seat at the Group of 8 industrialized nations, but Germany disagreed and Mr. Hague demurred. Western countries, however, have suspended preparations for the scheduled meeting of the G-8 in Sochi, Russia, as part of their response to Russia’s move on Crimea.
The situation in Crimea remained one of a tense standoff. Russian troops, wearing no badges on their uniforms, and pro-Russian “self-defense” forces surrounded Ukrainian bases, neutralizing and essentially imprisoning the soldiers and sailors there. But there continued to be no real violence.
Ukraine said Russia was moving more armored vehicles to its side of a narrow stretch of water near Crimea, while Russian forces took over the headquarters of the Ukrainian border control in Simferopol. Trucks outside had no license plates but at least one car had Russian military plates.
Ukraine’s government worked to stem protests in the east, recruiting wealthy eastern businessmen to become provincial governors in an effort to dampen secessionist sentiment there.
In Kharkiv, the eastern city that is the country’s second largest, a sprawling pro-Russian protest camp occupied the central square, and Russian flags were on display. Many protesters said they would even prefer that Russian troops invade the city, just 20 miles from the border, rather than submit to Kiev’s rule.
“I would welcome them with flowers,” said Aleksandr Sorokin, 55, a pensioner walking by a phalanx of riot police officers guarding the administration building in Kharkiv. “We do not want to spill blood, but we are willing to do so.”
There were reports that two pro-government supporters died from injuries suffered on Saturday in Kharkiv, where there was a major pro-Russian demonstration and an attempt to take over government buildings.
Even as Kiev’s pro-Western government called up its army reserves and vowed to fight for its sovereignty, calling Russia’s invasion of Crimea a “declaration of war,” it mustered a mostly political response to demonstrations in the east.
The office of President Oleksandr V. Turchynov announced on Sunday the dispatch of two billionaires — Sergei Taruta in Donetsk and Ihor Kolomoysky in Dnipropetrovsk — and more were reportedly under consideration for positions in the eastern regions.
The strategy is recognition that the oligarchs represent the country’s industrial and business elite, and hold great influence over thousands of workers in the east. Officials said the hope was that they could dampen secessionist hopes in the east and keep violent outbreaks — like fighting between pro-Western and pro-Russian protesters in Kharkiv that put at least 100 people in the hospital on Saturday — from providing a rationale for a Russian invasion in the name of protecting ethnic Russians.
At the same time, Ukrainian officials sought international help after a rapid Russian invasion of Crimea over the weekend turned into a celebration of pro-Kremlin sentiment in the streets there.
Hundreds of troops acting in the name of the provisional pro-Russian government in Crimea fanned out to persuade the thin Ukrainian forces there to give up their arms or swear allegiance to the new authorities, while the new government in Kiev tried to keep their loyalty but ordered them not to shoot unless under fire.
There were reports Sunday evening that the newly appointed Ukrainian Navy chief, Rear Adm. Denis Berezovsky, had sworn allegiance to “the people of Crimea” and its new government. A YouTube video showed an anxious, sweating Admiral Berezovsky, eyes downcast, quickly pledging to protect the region and its people — ostensibly against the Kiev government. Embarrassed officials in Kiev immediately removed him and said they would investigate him for treason.
What began in Ukraine three months ago as a protest against the government of President Viktor F. Yanukovych has now turned into a big-power confrontation reminiscent of the Cold War and a significant challenge to international agreements on the sanctity of the borders of post-Soviet nations.
But even as Western leaders warned that Russia would face political and economic penalties, and reiterated their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, it was difficult to see what immediate penalties could persuade the Kremlin to retreat from Crimea and stop exerting pressure through its supporters in eastern Ukraine.
Russia on Sunday kept up its propaganda campaign in defense of the Crimean takeover, citing undefined threats to Russian citizens and proclaiming large defections of Ukrainian forces in Crimea, which Western reporters said appeared to be unfounded.
Instead, the scenes were of Ukrainian troops in the peninsula being bottled up in their bases, surrounded by heavily armed soldiers without insignia.
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Barack Obama says Ukraine is not a cold war chess game and he is not going to play it.
Actually it is more like high-stakes poker. The President plays poker and whether he likes it or not he is at the table for this game, up against the Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
President Obama does not have a good hand. There are no military options, and European allies are apparently divided and too poor to offer Ukraine the economic help it needs.
Mr Obama knows the US cannot offer much more. Were he to go to Congress and ask for billions of dollars to help the fledgling Ukrainian government, the answer would probably be no.
Vladimir Putin knows exactly what his American opponent has in his hand. Conversely the Russian leader is keeping everyone guessing.
On Friday afternoon Mr Obama made a play, threatening unspecified costs if Russia intervenes in Crimea.
Mr Putin read his opponent and called his bluff, upping the ante and asking for parliamentary approval to intervene in Ukraine - that's Ukraine, not just Crimea.
Who makes the next move? In trying to predict Vladimir Putin's calculations it is worth noting that he spent years and billions preparing for the Sochi Winter Olympics, all to enhance Russia’s prestige and reputation.
In two days he has undone all of that with an act of naked aggression drawing condemnation from the rest of the world.
That is all you need to know about how important Crimea is to President Putin and to Russia.
Historic ties, the feelings of its people and the Russian military bases on the peninsula are worth an enormous amount. It is hard to know what the US can threaten to alter that calculation.
The more costs the president threatens the more the Russian leader is likely to call his bluff and the weaker Mr Obama is going to appear.
The alternative is to do next to nothing, with his Republican rivals lambasting his impotence.
In a sense the president is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.
He can threaten to pull out of the G8 summit in Sochi in Russia and persuade others to do the same.
He could threaten to throw Russia out of the G8.
He can warn Russia about the economic costs of its action.
But all the signs are that it will not make any difference.
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President Vladimir Putin asked his parliament for permission to use Russian troops in Ukraine, but the result was never in doubt.
His senate voted unanimously in favour with almost palpable glee, applauding themselves as they did.
Where much of the international community sees a leader dangerously poised on the verge of annexing Crimea, his supporters see much to like.
The case that Mr Putin is making is one that resonates well in Russia: that he is being forced to act to protect the lives of Russian citizens, compatriots, and Russian armed forces in Ukraine.
In other words, that he is defending Russian national interests and lives.
That much of the rest of the world considers those interests to be part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine is not necessarily a problem for Russia.
In Moscow, the state propaganda machine is already in overdrive, dismissing Oleksandr Turchynov as the "self-imposed president" and dismissing the mass protest movement as extremists and armed gangs.
Mr Putin has made his case and he will likely stick to it: that a legitimately-elected president has been overthrown and Russian citizens are under threat.
And there are ever-increasing numbers of them to protect. An estimated 143,000 Ukrainians have been issued with Russian passports in the last two weeks, including members of the Berkut riot police.
The old Kremlin tactic of passport politics seems to be alive and flourishing in Ukraine.
The next 24 hours will see the inevitable volley of stern diplomatic warnings and rhetoric from all sides, but Moscow will be scrutinising all those words for any real threat of action, and so far there is not much to fear.
One commentator characterised US President Barack Obama's latest statement on Ukraine as: "Stop, or I'll say stop again."
The US has now paused preparations for this summer's Russian-hosted G8 summit.
Mr Putin does not respond to threats of condemnation. He has never sought approval, just respect.
He wants Russia to be seen as a great superpower once again, and himself as its strongman president.
If that means playing the bad cop in the West and weathering a diplomatic storm, he probably will not lose much sleep.
For Russia, this is about more than just the loss of Ukraine joining the EU. It's about Europe, Nato - the old Cold War bogeyman of the West - advancing right up to the Russian border, and Moscow does not like that at all.
Mr Putin wants to defend his sphere of influence and the national interest. They count for much more in the Kremlin than whether Mr Obama does or does not come to Sochi for G8.
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Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
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Ukraine Protests: Timeline Of Events
Updated: 11:46am UK, Monday 03 March 2014
Protesters in Ukraine have staged three months of demonstrations at the decision to reject an EU deal in favour of closer ties with Russia. Here are the key events:
:: November 2013 - Ukrainian authorities suspend talks on an Associated Agreement with the EU in favour of closer economic ties with Russia. The decision prompts pro-European opposition groups to call for protests.
:: December 1, 2013 - A crowd of up to 500,000 gathers on Independence Squaure in Kiev, setting up a camp and building barricades.
:: December 11, 2013 - Security forces move against protesters in Kiev but are forced back.
:: December 17, 2013 - President Viktor Yanukovych travels to Moscow where he secures a $15bn (£9bn) bailout deal and a huge price cut for Russian gas.
:: January 19, 2014 - Dozens are injured in clashes between police and protesters in the capital after 200,000 defy new restrictions on demonstrations.
:: January 22, 2014 - Police smash barricades in central Kiev. Protesters respond by hurling rocks and firebombs.
:: January 25, 2014 - Yanukovych offers opposition leaders Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Vitali Klitschko entry to the government, but they decline.
:: January 28, 2014 - Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigns, parliament scraps the anti-protest laws.
:: January 29, 2014 - Parliament passes an amnesty bill, but the opposition rejects its conditions.
:: February 2, 2014 - Yatsenyuk and Klitschko call for international mediation and Western financial aid in Kiev.
:: February 4, 2014 - Klitschko calls for an "end to the dictatorship" during a heated parliament session.
:: February 5, 2014 - EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and top US envoy to Europe Victoria Nuland visit Kiev.
:: February 7, 2014 - Yanukovych meets his ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
:: February 9, 2014 - 70,000 protesters gather on Independence Square.
:: February 10, 2014 - The EU stops short of any immediate threat of sanctions.
:: February 14, 2014 - All 234 protesters who have been arrested since December are released, but charges against them remain in place.
:: February 16, 2014 - Protesters evacuate Kiev city hall after occupying the building since December 1. A day later, protesters are granted amnesty.
:: February 17, 2014 - Moscow says it will release $2bn (£1.2bn) from a vital aid package to Ukraine "this week".
:: February 18, 2014 - At least 25 people are killed in the bloodiest day of clashes in nearly three months of protests. Riot police encircle Independence Square, where thousands of protesters remain after a deadline set by security forces.
:: February 19, 2014 - Ukraine's president announces a truce with the opposition.
:: February 20, 2014 - More than 50 people are killed in more clashes between riot police and protesters.
:: February 21, 2014 - President Yanukovych agrees to form a coalition government, hold early presidential elections and make constitutional changes to limit his powers. Mr Yanukovych leaves Kiev.
:: February 22, 2014 - Parliament votes to remove Mr Yanukovych and hold new elections. Yulia Tymoshenko is freed and addresses a huge crowd in Independence Square.
:: February 23, 2014 - Presidential powers are assigned to the Ukraine parliament's new speaker, Oleksandr Turchinov. Pro-Russian protests begin in Crimea, where Russia has a major naval base.
:: February 24, 2014 - Ukraine's interim government draws up an arrest warrant for Mr Yanukovych.
:: February 27, 2014 - Masked gunmen seize regional parliament and government buildings in Crimea. Mr Yanukovych is granted refuge in Russia.
:: February 28, 2014 - Ukraine says Russian troops have taken up positions around strategic locations on the Crimean peninsula. Mr Turchynov says he has put armed forces on full readiness.
:: March 1, 2014 - Russian troops take control of Crimea.
:: March 2, 2014 - Ukraine appeals for international help. The US says it believes Russia has more than 6,000 troops in Crimea. Preparations for June's G8 summit in Russia are suspended.
:: March 3, 2014 - Troops take control of a ferry terminal in Kerch.
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The US conceded on Sunday that Moscow had “complete operational control of the Crimean peninsula” and announced that the secretary of state, John Kerry, will fly to Kiev in an attempt to halt a further Russian advance into Ukraine.
Senior US officials dismissed claims that Washington is incapable of exerting influence on the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, but were forced to admit that Crimea had been successfully invaded by 6,000 airborne and ground troops in what could be the start of a wider invasion.
“They are flying in reinforcements and they are settling in,” one senior official said. Another senior official said: “Russian forces now have complete operational control of the Crimean peninsula.”
Although President Barack Obama’s administration called for Putin to withdraw troops to Russian military bases on the peninsula, its objective appeared to have shifted to using political and economic threats to prevent any further military incursion.
One senior official said the major decision facing Putin was whether to “continue to escalate troop movements into other parts of Ukraine”.
“We’ve already seen the intervention in Crimea,” the official said. “It would be even further destabilising to expand that intervention into eastern Ukraine.”
The official added: “Our bottom line is they had to pull back from what they’ve already done, go back into their bases in Crimea. We’ll be watching very, very carefully of course and will be very, very concerned if we saw further escalation into eastern Ukraine.”
Kerry will fly to Kiev on Tuesday, to meet Ukraine’s new government and display “strong support for Ukrainian sovereignty”, a state department official said. However, in Washington there were mounting questions, particularly from Republican opponents of the administration, about the influence Kerry and other officials have over Moscow.
Kerry, Obama and other senior officials spent the last 24 hours frantically attempting to rally an international coalition of countries to condemn Moscow over the Crimea invasion, and commit to economic sanctions in order to prevent a further advance into other pro-Russian parts of Ukraine.
Obama spoke by phone with the British prime minister, David Cameron, Polish president Bronisław Komorowski and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.
“We are concerned as we watch this situation that the Russians have badly miscalculated,” one of the senior officials said. “There is a very fierce and proud tradition in Ukraine of defending their sovereignty and territorial integrity. So far Ukraine has showed, and Ukrainians individually have showed, marked restraint … but the longer this situation goes on, the more delicate it becomes.”
Earlier on Sunday, Kerry told CBS leading western nations were prepared to enact economic sanctions against Russia over what he called an “incredible act of aggression”.
“You just don’t in the 21st century behave in 19th-century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pretext,” Kerry said. “It is really a stunning, wilful choice by President Putin to invade another country. Russia is in violation of the sovereignty of Ukraine. Russia is in violation of its international obligations.”
Asked how the US and its allies might respond, Kerry stressed the economic harm that could befall Russia if it continued its occupation of Crimea, but repeatedly said “all options” were under consideration.
However, in a conference call with reporters later on Sunday, three senior US administration officials made clear that the “menu” of options before the White House does not include military action.
“Frankly, our goal is to uphold the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, not to have a military escalation,” one of the officials said. “I don’t think we’re focused right now on the notion of some US military intervention. I don’t think that would be an effective way to de-escalate the situation.”
During the call, which last almost an hour, the officials said they were looking to provide Russia with “off-ramps” that would enable Putin to reverse his course, and were applying pressure through a broad international coalition that had agreed to to ostracise Moscow.
That process has begun with major powers pulling out of preparatory meetings ahead of the G8 summit which is due to be hosted in Sochi in June, as well as the cancellation of other trade-related meetings with Russia planned for this week. In effect, Russia is being threatened with expulsion from the G8 group of countries, unless it withdraws from Ukraine.
That will quickly escalate to possible sanctions, including potential visa and banking restrictions targeting Russians close to Putin. Currently, the US is reviewing “all of our economic and trade cooperation with the Russian Federation”, one official said, and all 28 members of Nato were planning to sign up to a single statement, strongly condemning Moscow.
“He [Putin] is not going to have a Sochi G8, he may not even remain in the G8 if this continues,” Kerry told NBC earlier in the day. “He may find himself with asset freezes, on Russian business, American business may pull back, there may be a further tumble of the ruble.”
The Obama administration is also working with the European Union and International Monetary Fund to fast-track a package of financial aid and loans, in order to shore-up Ukraine’s economy.
The officials argued that Russia had miscalculated by invading Ukraine and effectively conquering the Crimean peninsula. What US officials described as the Russian “intervention” was likely to bolster “the people of Ukraine’s desire to reorient towards Europe”, an official said.
Another senior official said: “When it comes to soft power, the power of attraction, Vladimir Putin has no game. So he’s left with hard power and it’s a very dangerous game to play.”
However, the senior officials sounded flustered as they struggled with accusations from reporters that Obama had shown himself to be powerless in the face of Russian aggression.
On Friday, Obama made a forceful public address, warning Putin that there would be “costs” if Russia intervened in Ukraine. On Saturday he spent 90 minutes on the phone with the Russian leader, ultimately failing to dissuade him from taking military action.
Asked if Obama had a “credibility problem”, one senior official replied: “The premise of your question is he [Putin] is strong and [the] president of the United States is weak. He [Putin] is not acting from a position of strength right now.”
The official added: “You’re seeing the ability of the United States to bring with us … the rest of the G7 countries, the rest of Nato, and frankly the large majority of the world in condemning this action.”
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President Obama(Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP)
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President Obama has only limited options to punish Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over military action in Ukraine, but some Republicans say that is partly the result of Obama's own foreign policy.
"Putin is playing chess -- I think we're playing marbles," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, speaking on Fox News Sunday. Rogers said the Russians have been "running circles around us" in negotiations on such items as Syria and missile defense.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaking on CNN's State of the Union, said "we have a weak and indecisive president," and that "invites aggression."
Secretary of State John Kerry said the Obama administration is working with U.S. allies to hit Russia with economic penalties if it continues its aggression in the Crimea region of Ukraine.
American allies "are prepared to go to the hilt in order to isolate Russia with respect to this invasion," Kerry said on CBS' Face The Nation. "They're prepared to put sanctions in place, they're prepared to isolate Russia economically."
Kerry also said the U.S. is prepared to boycott the Group of Eight Summit this June in Russia (in Sochi, site of last month's Winter Olympics). It may also move to have Russia expelled from the G-8.
On NBC's Meet The Press, Kerry said Russia could also face visa bans, asset freezes, and trade and investment penalties.
In another television appearance, on ABC's This Week, Kerry said that "the hope of the U.S. and everybody in the world is not to see this escalate into a military confrontation."
Rogers, Graham, and other officials who appeared on Sunday interview shows seconded the call for new sanctions, and suggested that Russia be kicked out of the G-8. They also called for economic assistance to Ukraine and help for other developing democracies located near Russia.
During a 90-minute phone call with Putin on Saturday, Obama "made absolutely clear" that a Russian invasion of the Crimea region of Ukraine "is unacceptable, and there will be serious repercussions if this stands," Kerry told CBS.
A White House statement on the Obama-Putin call said "the United States calls on Russia to de-escalate tensions by withdrawing its forces back to bases in Crimea and to refrain from any interference elsewhere in Ukraine."
Putin appeared unmoved. In its statement on the call, the Kremlin said that "Russia retains the right to protect its interests and the Russian-speaking population of those areas."
The Kremlin also said that Putin told Obama about "provocative and criminal actions on the part of ultranationalists who are in fact being supported by the current authorities in Kiev. The Russian president spoke of a real threat to the lives and health of Russian citizens and the many compatriots who are currently on Ukrainian territory."
Obama also spoke Saturday with a pair of prominent allies, President Francois Hollande of France and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada.
"The leaders affirmed the importance of unity within the international community in support of international law, and the future of Ukraine and its democracy," said a White House statement. "The leaders also pledged to work together on a package of support and assistance to help Ukraine as it pursues reforms and stabilizes its economy."
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2 March 2014 Last updated at 10:54 ET
British-based Ukrainians staged a protest outside Russia's embassy in London
The protest was occasionally noisy but remained peaceful
Some protesters aimed their criticism at President Putin personally
The UK has pulled out of preparatory talks for the G8 summit due to be held in Sochi, because of Russia's continuing build-up of military forces in the Ukrainian region of Crimea.
The decision was announced as Foreign Secretary William Hague flew to Kiev for talks with Ukraine's new leaders.
Acting president Olexander Turchynov has ordered a full mobilisation of Ukrainian military forces.
Mr Hague has said he will reiterate UK support for Ukraine's sovereignty.
Before boarding his plane, Mr Hague said: "We have to recognise the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine has been violated and this cannot be the way to conduct international affairs.
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Emily Buchanan BBC world affairs correspondent
William Hague's mission is to de-escalate tension.
He has already expressed 'concern' over the crisis, but whether this amounts to more than verbal support for Kiev's fledgling government is not clear.
He will emphasise over the next two days that the new government needs to be seen to tackle corruption before badly needed IMF money can be agreed.
And it is likely he will urge them to make sure Russian minorities are protected so Moscow does not have a pretext to intervene further.
Mr Hague's hope is that a united front by the West will exert enough pressure on both sides to avoid war.
"And so, in addition to calling yesterday's emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the United Kingdom will join other G8 countries this week in suspending our co-operation under the G8, which Russia chairs this year, including the meetings this week for the preparation of the G8 summit."
He said Britain would keep its approach to further G8 meetings under review.
In Brussels, Nato has been holding emergency talks about Russia's move to take control of Crimea.
Just before the meeting, Nato secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia's troop deployments violated the principles of the United Nations charter and threatened peace and security in Europe.
"Russia must stop its military activities and its threats," he said.
British-based Ukrainians staged a protest outside Russia's embassy in LondonThe protest was occasionally noisy but remained peacefulSome protesters aimed their criticism at President Putin personally
The Ukrainian government has said it will seek the help of US and UK leaders to guarantee its security.
The interim prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said Russia's military moves amounted to a "declaration of war".
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Crimea key facts
- Autonomous republic within Ukraine
- Most residents speak Russian and identify as ethnic Russians
- Some others are anti-Russian
- Russia leases naval base in Crimean city of Sevastopol
- Moscow has deployed its troops outside the base and sent extra troops from Russia
On Saturday, US President Barack Obama held a 90-minute telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him to pull his forces back to bases in Crimea.
Mr Putin says Russia reserves the right to protect its interests and those of Russian speakers in Ukraine.
The Foreign Office says Mr Hague will make clear the UK's support for Ukraine's new government, which was formed after the ousting of former president Viktor Yanukovych in a popular uprising last month.
His removal from power followed four months of street protests that culminated in bloody clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
On Saturday, Mr Hague said the UK would work with international partners to "ensure that reforms by Ukraine are matched by international willingness to provide economic support".
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From the scene: An expat's view
David* is a British citizen living with his Ukrainian wife and three-year-old daughter in Simferopol, Crimea.
It would appear that trains are no longer running, so our only option is a flight out, now that the airspace has been reopened.
It is clear that any foreign citizen must remain at home. Apparently an American man was severely beaten only yesterday, without any real provocation.
From our perspective, it is clear that Russian authorities are firmly in control here. We can only pray that Ukrainian forces do not rise to the provocation and begin a conflict, despite the injury to the integrity of the country.
We would urge William Hague to push this point home to them. The news that reserve forces have been called up is therefore deeply discouraging.
* David is not his real name. He spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity
He said Britain would also help Ukraine recover corruptly acquired assets.
BBC world affairs correspondent Emily Buchanan said Mr Hague was likely to urge the Ukrainian government not to do anything to provoke Russia, in order not to give Moscow a pretext for further military action.
Mr Hague said it was also important that Russia spoke to the Ukrainian authorities directly.
Russia, which rejects the legitimacy of Ukraine's new leaders, has so far refused to do so.
Former Conservative foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said the situation was the "most serious crisis since the end of the Cold War".
"This needs to be a defining moment and Putin needs to understand this... in the West's relationship with Russia," he said.
Disastrous
A former British ambassador to Moscow, Sir Tony Brenton, said Mr Hague must "damp down" the tension between Russia and Ukraine.
He said: "[President Putin] has just seen his man, in effect, [Viktor] Yanukovych, overthrown by what he sees as a Western instigated revolt. He [Putin] is determined to maintain Russian influence in Ukraine as a whole, and he has now taken Crimea... hostage."
Former British ambassador to Moscow, Sir Tony Brenton, says Crimea has been "taken hostage" by President Putin
Labour leader Ed Miliband said there could be "no justification" for Russian military action in Ukraine.
"I believe diplomatic and economic pressure we can put on Russia is the best hope we can have for what everyone wants to see, which is the de-escalation of this crisis," he said.
In London, hundreds of Ukrainians staged a protest near the Russian embassy.
The demonstrators chanted slogans and held up banners that said "Hands off Ukraine". Similar protests were held in other European capitals.
The Foreign Office is advising against all travel to Crimea, and urging British nationals in Crimea to leave.
It said train and bus routes out of the peninsula were still operating, but it did not advise British nationals to try to leave by air from Simferopol until the situation had become more stable.
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Russia continued to build up its forces in Crimea on Sunday, as Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk warned that his country was "on the brink of disaster."
Speaking to reporters, he said: "If (Russian President Vladimir) Putin wants to be the president who started the war between two neighbouring and friendly countries, Ukraine and Russia, he's reached this target within a few inches".
President Obama has said Russia is in breach of international law, having clearly violated Ukraine's sovereignty.
In a lengthy telephone call, he urged President Putin to withdraw Russian forces to their bases in Crimea.
Mr Putin said Moscow reserved the right to defend its interests.
Simon Clemison reports.
Armed troops have forced entry to an electricity supply room at the Ukrainian Navy's headquarters in Sevastopol.
Russian military activity in Crimea - home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet - has been increasing for the past few days.
Some 6,000 extra Russian troops and 30 additional armoured vehicles are now in Crimea, Ukrainian Defence Minister Ihor Tenyukh said on Saturday.
