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SANCTIONS.
WE'RE JOINED BY SAMANTHA POWER.
AMBASSADOR, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
JOINING US.
>> GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> SO DOES THE U.S. AND ITS
ALLIES DO IF THE REFERENDUM GOES
FORWARD AND THE PEOPLE IN CRIMEA
VOTE TO SECEDE IN EFFECT FROM
UKRAINE AND BECOME PART OF
RUSSIA?
>> WELL, WE HAVE MADE CLEAR
TODAY AS HAVE MANY COUNTRIES
AWAY THE WORLD THAT THE
REFERENDUM WOULD BE ILLEGAL
UNDER THE TERMS OF THE UKRANIAN
CONSTITUTION AND INTERNATIONAL
LAW.
ANY SUCH REFERENDUM WOULD HAVE
TO OCCUR UNDER THE UKRAINIAN
CONSTITUTION ACROSS THE ENTIRETY
OF UKRAINETHE IMF
AND OTHER TECHNICAL EXPERTS
TRYING TO PUT IN PLACE TECHNICAL
REFORMS SO AS TO SHORE UP THE
ECONOMY AND THE CULTURE OF
CORRUPTION.
>> SO IF THIS REFERENDUM GOES
FORWARD AND THEY MOVE TO BECOME
PART OF RUSSIA, WHAT DOES THE
U.S. DO THEN?
>> I THINK YOU HEARD PRESIDENT
OBAMA TODAY ISSUE AND SEEN THIS
EXECUTIVE ORDER IN MUCH WE
THREATEN SANCTIONS AGAINST THOSE
WHO WOULD INTERFERE WITH THE
TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND
SOVEREIGNTY OF UKRAINE.
THE NAMES WILL COME AS SOON AS
YOU SAW PEOPLE INTERFERING ALONG
THE LINES OF WHAT HAS BEEN
DESCRIBED OR PROPOSED IN CRIMEA.
WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT THE
POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ISOLATION
THAT RUSSIA FACES, NOT JUST ON
THE BEHEST OF THE UNITED STATES
BUT IN THE BROADER INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY AND PARTICULARLY WITH
EUROPE STANDING WITH US, THAT
WITH THAT PATHWAY AHEAD LOOKING
UNATTRACTIVE TO SAY THE LEAST,
THAT PRESIDENT PUTIN CAN BECOME
PART OF THE SOLUTION HERE AND
PULL BACK MISS FORCES FROM
CRIMEA, ENGAGE WITH THE CRIMEANS
IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T INCITE
THEM TO MAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS LIKE
THE KIND THEY MADE TODAY, BUT IN
FACT IN
CRIMEA OR FOR THAT MATTER IN
EASTERN UKRAINE THAT CAUSES
GREAT HARM.
>> I RAISED THE EXAMPLE BECAUSE
PUTIN PROBABLY SAYS, YOU KNOW,
WHAT THE WORLD FORGOT ABOUT
GEORGIA, THEY WILL FORGET ABOUT
CRIMEA.
I GOT TO DO WHAT I WANT TO TO.
AND I'M GOING FORWARD WITH IT.
THEY CAN HAVE MODEST SANCTIONS
IF YOU WILL, THEY CAN SCREAM,
THEY CAN SHOUT, BUT THEY WILL
FOR GET ABOUT IT JUST AS THEY
DID WITH GEORGIA.
>> THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
WOULD NOT FORGET.
THE KIND OF ISOLATION THAT
RUSSIA WOULD FACE IN THE EVENT
OF THE KINDS OF MANEUVERS THAT
HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT IN CRIMEA
AND THAT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN
CONTEMPLATED IN EASTERN UKRAINE,
THESE ARE MANEUVERS THAT WOULD
LEAVE RUSSIA SEVERELY ISOLATED
ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE AND
AS WE SAW A COUPLE WEEKS AGO IN
SOCHI, THERE IS A DIFFERENT
MODEL THAT PUTIN HAS PURSUED.
HE WANTS RUSSIA TO BE ON THE
INTERNATIONAL STAGE, HE WANTS TO
BE FLEXING ITS INTERESTS TO CAL
UPON SYRIA AND TO WORK WITH US
TO GET SYRIA TO DO AWAY WITH ITS
CHEMICAL WEAPONS.
>> BUT FOR ALL PRACTICAL
PURPOSES, IF YOU'VE SUFFERED
MILITARY TO MILITARY REAL
DIALOGUE WITH RUSSIA AND THESE
AREAS INVOLVING A SENSITIVE
ISSUE LIKE IRAN'S NUCLEAR
PROBLEM, SYRIA'S CHEMICAL
WEAPONS, DOESN'T THAT UNITED
STATES MINE ALL THE EFFORTS THAT
YOU'VE BEEN SO ENGAGED IN OVER
THESE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS AT THE
UNITED NATIONS?
>> RUSSIA WILL PURSUE ITS
INTERESTS.
AND RUSSIA HAS STOOD WITH US AS
PART OF THE P 5 PLUS 1 IN
SEEKING TO ENSURE IRAN DOES NOT
OBTAIN A NUCLEAR WEAPON.
RUSSIA ON THE SPECIFIC ISSUE OF
CHEMICAL ONES, OF COURSE WE'VE
HAD BIGGER CHALLENGES ON THE
HUMANITARIAN AND POLITICAL
FRONT, BUT ON THE SPECIFIC ISSUE
OF CHEMICAL WEAPON, RUSSIA SEEMS
TO STILL WANT SYRIA TO DO AWAY
WITH ITS CHEMICAL WEAPONS
PROGRAM.
WE SEE NO EVIDENCE THAT THEY'RE
PULLING BACK FROM THE KIND OF
ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SYRIAN
REGIME THAT WE HAD SEEN PRIOR TO
THE UKRAINE CRISIS.
BUT AGAIN, WOLF, WE HAVE TO TAKE
EACH ISSUE SEPARATELY.
WE ARE PURSUING OUR INTERESTS.
WE SEE AN INTEREST IN THE
UKRANIAN CONTEXT.
NOT ONLY IN STANDING WITH THE
UKRANIAN PEOPLE, BUT ALSO
STANDING UP FOR THE RULES OF THE
ROAD IN THE INTERNATIONAL ORDER.
IT WOULD BE IMMENSELY