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The President: Good morning, everybody.
In recent months, as the citizens of Ukraine have made
their voices heard, we have been guided by a fundamental
principle -- the future of Ukraine must be decided
by the people of Ukraine.
That means Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must
be respected, and international law must be upheld.
And so, Russia's decision to send troops into Crimea has
rightly drawn global condemnation.
From the start, the United States has mobilized the
international community in support of Ukraine to isolate
Russia for its actions and to reassure our
allies and partners.
We saw this international unity again over the weekend,
when Russia stood alone in the U.N. Security Council
defending its actions in Crimea.
And as I told President Putin yesterday,
the referendum in Crimea was a clear violation of Ukrainian
constitutions and international law,
and it will not be recognized by the international community.
Today, I'm announcing a series of measures that will continue
to increase the cost on Russia and on those responsible for
what is happening in Ukraine.
First, as authorized by the executive order I signed
two weeks ago, we are imposing sanctions on specific
individuals responsible for undermining the sovereignty,
territorial integrity and government of Ukraine.
We're making it clear that there are consequences
for their actions.
Second, I have signed a new executive order that expands
the scope of our sanctions.
As an initial step, I'm authorizing sanctions on Russian
officials -- entities operating in the arms sector in Russia and
individuals who provide material support to senior officials
of the Russian government.
And if Russia continues to interfere in Ukraine,
we stand ready to impose further sanctions.
Third, we're continuing our close consultations with our
European partners, who today in Brussels moved ahead with their
own sanctions against Russia.
Tonight, Vice President Biden departs for Europe,
where he will meet with the leaders of our NATO allies --
Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
And I'll be traveling to Europe next week.
Our message will be clear.
As NATO allies, we have a solemn commitment to our collective
defense, and we will uphold this commitment.
Fourth, we'll continue to make clear to Russia that further
provocations will achieve nothing except to further
isolate Russia and diminish its place in the world.
The international community will continue to stand together
to oppose any violations of Ukrainian sovereignty
and territorial integrity, and continued Russian military
intervention in Ukraine will only deepen Russia's diplomatic
isolation and exact a greater toll on the Russian economy.
Going forward, we can calibrate our response based on whether
Russia chooses to escalate or to de-escalate the situation.
Now, I believe there's still a path to resolve this situation
diplomatically in a way that addresses the interest of both
Russia and Ukraine.
That includes Russia pulling its forces in Crimea back to their
bases, supporting the deployment of additional international
monitors in Ukraine, and engaging in dialogue with the
Ukrainian government, which has indicated its openness to
pursuing constitutional reform as they move forward towards
elections this spring.
But throughout this process, we're going to stand firm
in our unwavering support for Ukraine.
As I told Prime Minister Yatsenyuk last week,
the United States stands with the people of Ukraine
and their right to determine their own destiny.
We're going to keep working with Congress and our international
partners to offer Ukraine the economic support that it needs
to weather this crisis and to improve the daily lives
of the Ukrainian people.
And as we go forward, we'll continue to look at the range of
ways we can help our Ukrainian friends achieve their universal
rights and the security, prosperity and dignity
that they deserve.
Thanks very much.
And Jay, I think, will be available for questions.
Thank you.