Updated 2X: Kerry: US Considering Repercussions For Russia's 'Incredible Act Of Aggression' [View all]

[DonViejo]

Last edited Sun Mar 2, 2014, 11:59 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

CAITLIN MACNEAL – MARCH 2, 2014, 9:21 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry calls Russia's military incursion into Ukraine "an incredible act of aggression" and says President Vladimir Putin has made "a stunning, willful" choice to invade another country.

Kerry says Russia should respect the democratic process through which the Ukrainian people ousted their pro-Russian president and assembled a new government. Kerry is raising the possibility of boycotting the June meeting of the Group of Eight leading industrialized countries in Sochi, Russia.

He's also discussing visa bans, asset freezes, and trade and investment penalties. Kerry said he spoke with foreign ministers for G-8 and other nations on Saturday, and says everyone is prepared 'to go to the hilt" to isolate Russia.

Kerry was interviewed Sunday on CBS, ABC and NBC news shows.

###

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kerry-russia-ukraine-repercussions

---

Kerry Blasts Russia's '19th Century Behavior' In Ukraine

Update 1:

CAITLIN MACNEAL – MARCH 2, 2014, 10:13 AM EST

Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday sharply criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for his decision to send troops into Crimea, a part of Ukraine strategically important to Russia.

“It’s really 19th century behavior in the twenty-first century," Kerry said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "You just don’t invade another country on phony pretexts in order to assert your interests." Kerry said that Putin is "possibly trying to annex Crimea," but that he will not succeed.

"He's going to lose on the international stage, Russia is going to lose, the Russian people are going to lose, and he's going to lose all of the glow that came out of the Olympics, his $60 billion extravaganza," Kerry said, adding that other world leaders are also determined to stop Putin form interfering in Ukraine.

"There’s a unified view by all of the foreign ministers I talked with yesterday – all of the G-8 and more -- that they’re simply going to isolate Russia; that they’re not going to engage with Russia in a normal business-as-usual manner…. The ruble is already going down and feeling the impact of this."

###

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kerry-russia-ukraine-19th-century

-------------------------------------

Update 2:

Kerry: 'This Is A Time For Diplomacy' But All Options On Table

CAITLIN MACNEAL – MARCH 2, 2014, 10:40 AM EST

Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday said that for now, the United States will pursue diplomatic options first in order to convince Russia to pull back after it initiated military presence in Crimea, Ukraine.

"This is a time for diplomacy, and we will engage diplomatically as much as we can in order to steal this away from the increase in the tension of the level of the crisis. Nobody wants this to spiral into a bad or worse direction," Kerry said on ABC's "This Week." "It seems to me that if Russia were to step back and look at where its interests are, we ought to be able to work this out through the diplomatic process. If Russia chooses not to, there will be serious repercussions."

Kerry said the administration is prepared to ask Congress to prepare aide for Ukraine.

"We will call on Congress immediately to the degree that they are prepared to be helpful that they immediately lay down with us an economic package in order to assist Ukraine," he said. "We’re prepared to work very closely with Russia in order to address whatever legitimate concerns may exist. We believe there are many alternatives before you get to an invasion, and none of those have been tried at this point in time."

###

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kerry-ukraine-diplomacy-first