Exit polls: Crimea votes to join Russia

[FarCenter]

EU foreign ministers prepare response

EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on Monday to decide whether to impose sanctions such as visa bans and asset freezes on Russian authorities.

Speaking on ZDF public television on Sunday evening, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Russia's "preparations for an annexation of Crimea" were "completely unacceptable." Steinmeier said that his European colleagues in Brussels now faced decisions that would not be easy on Monday.

"We have signalled to Russia that we are not interested in a confrontation by asking [Moscow] to calm down and seek a way that we - the international community, Ukraine and Russia - can step back from this escalation," Steinmeier said. "Russia has not made use of any of these options, and therefore there will be a meeting tomorrow in which decisions must surely be taken."

When pressed on these consequences, Steinmeier said that a next step "would indeed include measures in the region of sanctions" from the EU, suggesting a "gradual approach" to this process. He also warned against "short-term hopes" of quickly changing the situation in Crimea, saying "I assume Russia has made all the preparations to bring Crimea into Russian territory."

http://www.dw.de/exit-polls-crimea-votes-to-join-russia/a-17500303

[pscot]

1. John McCain and his buddy Lindsey are gonna be pissed