Obama tells Putin of 'deep concern'

President Barack Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin of his “deep concern” over Russia’s military intervention into Ukraine in a 90-minute conversation Saturday afternoon, and warned that Russian forces’ continued presence in Ukraine would hurt Russia’s standing in the international community, according to a White House statement.

“The United States condemns Russia’s military intervention into Ukrainian territory,” the White House said.


Russia’s actions are a “clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is a breach of international law, including Russia’s obligations under the UN Charter, and of its 1997 military basing agreement with Ukraine, and which is inconsistent with the 1994 Budapest Memorandum and the Helsinki Final Act,” Obama told Putin, according to the White House’s readout of the call.

( Also on POLITICO: Obama to Russia: Stay out of Ukraine)

The United States will also suspend its participation in preparatory meetings for the G-8 summit scheduled for Sochi later this year, the statement said.

Obama offered his Russian counterpart a path forward through diplomatic means. “If Russia has concerns about the treatment of ethnic Russian and minority populations in Ukraine, the appropriate way to address them is peacefully through direct engagement with the government of Ukraine and through the dispatch of international observers under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),” the readout said.

Obama also called for “an immediate effort to initiate a dialogue between Russia and the Ukrainian government, with international facilitation, as appropriate.” The United States, he added, “is prepared to participate.”

( From POLITICO Magazine: The realist: Barack Obama’s a cold warrior indeed)

The Kremlin issued short statements in Russian and in English reading out the call. Putin “spoke of a real threat to the lives and health of Russian citizens and the many compatriots who are currently on Ukrainian territory,” the English statement said, and “stressed that in case of any further spread of violence to Eastern Ukraine and Crimea, Russia retains the right to protect its interests and the Russian-speaking population of those areas.”

The call to Putin was one of several that Obama made to foreign leaders on Saturday as he and his national security advisers deliberated the administration’s response to Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.

Senior administration officials including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey were spotted leaving the West Wing following an early-afternoon meeting in which they were updated on the situation in Ukraine and “discuss[ed] potential policy options,” a White House official said. Obama did not attend the meeting but has been briefed by National Security Adviser Susan Rice and others on his national security team.

Vice President Joe Biden participated from Phoenix via video conference, his office said. Secretary of State John Kerry video conferenced in from Boston.

The White House’s readout of the president’s call with Putin also details the administration’s work going forward. He has directed the administration “to continue working urgently with international partners to provide support for the Ukrainian government, including urgent technical and financial assistance.” The United States will continue consulting with allies and partners, the Ukrainian government and the International Monetary Fund “to provide the new government with significant assistance to secure financial stability, to support needed reforms, to allow Ukraine to conduct successful elections, and to support Ukraine as it pursues a democratic future.”

Obama also spoke separately Saturday with French President Francois Hollande and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The leaders “expressed their grave concern over Russia’s intervention in Ukraine,” the White House said in a readout, and agreed to work together on support and assistance for Ukraine and to “coordinate closely” about next steps.

Earlier in the day, Hagel spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, while Kerry has been in contact with Oleksandr Turchynov, Ukraine’s interim president.

In New York, meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council gathered for “informal consultations” on Ukraine, but any formal action against Russia would be impossible given Russia’s veto power on the panel.

Putin has argued that the lives of Russian citizens in the region are at risk and that the deployment of armed forces is Ukraine is likely necessary “pending the normalization of the socio-political situation in that country,” he said in his request to lawmakers.

The parliament’s vote was enough to draw a condemnation from Turchynov, who said his government considers Russia’s behavior “to be direct aggression against the sovereignty of Ukraine.

President Barack Obama warned Friday that Russia’s military intervention into Ukraine would be just that — “would be a clear violation of Russia’s commitment to respect the independence and sovereignty and borders of Ukraine and of international laws.” He also warned Putin that there would “be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine.”

While Obama has not yet spoken out Saturday, a growing chorus of Republican lawmakers have, and are urging a forceful response from the president.

“Russia’s illegal military incursion in the Crimea region in Ukraine is a grave violation of a nation’s sovereignty and cannot go unpunished,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in a statement. Among his suggestions for the president: “Speak unequivocally and call this what it is: a military invasion” and send Hagel and Kerry to Kiev to show support for Ukraine’s transitional government.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in a statement Saturday that he is “deeply concerned” that Russia will extend its military intervention in Crimea to eastern Ukraine and called on Obama to outline for Russia the “costs” of sending troops to Ukraine.

“It is now essential for the president to articulate exactly what those costs will be and to take steps urgently to impose them,” he said, and Obama should do so soon. “Every moment that the United States and our allies fail to respond sends the signal to President Putin that he can be even more ambitious and aggressive in his military intervention in Ukraine.”

Ahead of the Security Council’s afternoon meeting, U.N. special adviser Robert Serry, who Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had asked go to Crimea to examine the situation, said in a statement Saturday that he has “come to the conclusion that a visit to Crimea today is not possible” and will instead go to Geneva on Sunday to brief Ban and “consult with him on next steps.”

“It became very clear from yesterday’s council consultations that the unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine is not to be called into question,” Serry said. “This is a time for dialogue and to engage with each other constructively.”

Mackenzie Weinger contributed to this report.