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Stephen Harper Says He’ll Push For Russia’s Expulsion From The G8

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is making it clear he wants G7 leaders to expel Russia from the G8 group of industrialized nations.

Harper made a brief visit to Kyiv on Saturday. He laid flowers at a makeshift memorial for some of those killed during the overthrow of president Viktor Yanukovych. He also met with members of the country’s interim government.

During a news conference with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Harper was asked about the impromptu meeting of G7 leaders scheduled for Monday at a nuclear summit in The Hague. Harper expects there will be discussion of whether Russia should be cast out of the G8.

“I don’t think it takes much imagination for you to figure out what my view on that is,” Harper said.

“But I will certainly listen to what our partners in the G7 have to say.”

Harper has repeatedly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for his takeover of Crimea. Russia is formally annexing the region, arguing it is a traditionally Russian territory. He went after the Russian president again on Saturday in a brief speech delivered alongside the Ukrainian prime minister.

“For Ukraine, the consequences of the actions of the Putin regime are obvious and can only be remedied by their complete reversal,” Harper said.

“Furthermore, all of us who desire peace and stability in the world must recognize that the consequences of these actions will be felt far beyond the borders of Ukraine or even the European continent itself.”

Setback for nuclear disarmament?

Harper accuses Russia of not only wrongfully seizing the Crimean peninsula but of setting back the cause of nuclear disarmament. Russia guaranteed Ukraine’s territorial integrity in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. In return for that assurance, Ukraine agreed to give up the nuclear arsenal it inherited after the break-up of the former Soviet Union.

By violating this agreement, Harper says Putin has given countries around the world an excuse to refuse to disarm and instead to “arm themselves to the teeth.”

Ukraine’s prime minister agreed.

“It will be very difficult to convince anyone in the world — starting with Iran and then with North Korea — to give up its nuclear weapons,” Yatsenyuk said.

“Russia violating international agreements, Russia making an armed robbery of Ukrainian independent territory undermines global security.”

As for next week’s G7 meeting, Yatsenyuk says his message to leaders is that the world needs a new global security system to respond in a strong and rapid manner when countries find their sovereignty and territorial integrity under threat. And even with the enormous stress Ukraine is facing in the current crisis, Yatsenyuk was able to make light of the question of Russia’s membership in the G8.

“If G8 has an empty seat, we are ready to take it,” he said

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• UKRAINE-RUSSIA-POLITICS-CRISIS

  Pro-Russian protesters remove the gate of Ukrainian navy headquaters as Russian troops stand guard in Crimean city of Sevastopol on March 19, 2014. Pro-Russian protesters seized Ukraine’s Crimean naval headquarters and captured its commander on Wednesday after Moscow claimed the peninsula and the first casualties ratcheted up stakes in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/ VASILIY BATANOV (Photo credit should read Vasiliy BATANOV/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-RUSSIA-POLITICS-CRISIS-MILITARY

  Russian troops stand guard at the Ukrainian navy headquaters they took in the Crimean city of Sevastopol on March 19, 2014. Pro-Russian protesters seized Ukraine’s Crimean naval headquarters and captured its commander on Wednesday after Moscow claimed the peninsula and the first casualties ratcheted up stakes in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/ VASILIY BATANOV (Photo credit should read Vasiliy BATANOV/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-RUSSIA-POLITICS-CRISIS-MILITARY

  Russian troops stand guard at the Ukrainian navy headquaters they took in the Crimean city of Sevastopol on March 19, 2014. Pro-Russian protesters seized Ukraine’s Crimean naval headquarters and captured its commander on Wednesday after Moscow claimed the peninsula and the first casualties ratcheted up stakes in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/ VASILIY BATANOV (Photo credit should read Vasiliy BATANOV/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-RUSSIA-POLITICS-CRISIS-MILITARY

  Russian troops stand guard at the Ukrainian navy headquaters they took in the Crimean city of Sevastopol on March 19, 2014. Pro-Russian protesters seized Ukraine’s Crimean naval headquarters and captured its commander on Wednesday after Moscow claimed the peninsula and the first casualties ratcheted up stakes in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/ VASILIY BATANOV (Photo credit should read Vasiliy BATANOV/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-RUSSIA-POLITICS-CRISIS

  Pro-Russian protesters remove the gate of Ukrainian navy headquaters as Russian troops stand guard in Crimean city of Sevastopol on March 19, 2014. Pro-Russian protesters seized Ukraine’s Crimean naval headquarters and captured its commander on Wednesday after Moscow claimed the peninsula and the first casualties ratcheted up stakes in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/ VASILIY BATANOV (Photo credit should read Vasiliy BATANOV/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-RUSSIA-POLITICS-CRISIS-MILITARY

  Russian troops stand guard at the Ukrainian navy headquaters they took in the Crimean city of Sevastopol on March 19, 2014. Pro-Russian protesters seized Ukraine’s Crimean naval headquarters and captured its commander on Wednesday after Moscow claimed the peninsula and the first casualties ratcheted up stakes in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/ VASILIY BATANOV (Photo credit should read Vasiliy BATANOV/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-RUSSIA-POLITICS-CRISIS

  Pro-Russian protesters and Russian troops stand guard at the Ukrainian navy headquaters after removing its gates in the Crimean city of Sevastopol on March 19, 2014. Pro-Russian protesters seized Ukraine’s Crimean naval headquarters and captured its commander on Wednesday after Moscow claimed the peninsula and the first casualties ratcheted up stakes in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/ VASILIY BATANOV (Photo credit should read Vasiliy BATANOV/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-RUSSIA-POLITICS-CRISIS

  Pro-Russian protesters and Russian troops stand guard at the Ukrainian navy headquaters after removing its gates in the Crimean city of Sevastopol on March 19, 2014. Pro-Russian protesters seized Ukraine’s Crimean naval headquarters and captured its commander on Wednesday after Moscow claimed the peninsula and the first casualties ratcheted up stakes in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/ VASILIY BATANOV (Photo credit should read Vasiliy BATANOV/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-RUSSIA-POLITICS-CRISIS

  Pro-Russian protesters and Russian troops stand guard at Ukrainian navy headquaters in Crimean city of Sevastopol on March 19, 2014. Pro-Russian protesters seized Ukraine’s Crimean naval headquarters and captured its commander on Wednesday after Moscow claimed the peninsula and the first casualties ratcheted up stakes in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/ VASILIY BATANOV (Photo credit should read Vasiliy BATANOV/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-RUSSIA-POLITICS-CRISIS

  Pro-Russian protesters remove the gate of Ukrainian navy headquaters as Russian troops stand guard in Crimean city of Sevastopol on March 19, 2014. Pro-Russian protesters seized Ukraine’s Crimean naval headquarters and captured its commander on Wednesday after Moscow claimed the peninsula and the first casualties ratcheted up stakes in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/ VASILIY BATANOV (Photo credit should read Vasiliy BATANOV/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE RUSSIA-UNREST-POLITICS-CRIMEA

  An Ukrainian soldier stands guard inside the navy headquarters in Simferopol on March 18, 2014. Russia’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled on March 19, 2014 that President Vladimir Putin acted legally by signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia, in an essential step in the Russian legal process towards ratifying the treaty. AFP PHOTO/ Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE RUSSIA-UNREST-POLITICS-CRIMEA

  Russian soldiers stand guard near Ukranian soldiers walking inside the Ukranian navy headquarters in Simferopol on March 18, 2014. Russia’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled on March 19, 2014 that President Vladimir Putin acted legally by signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia, in an essential step in the Russian legal process towards ratifying the treaty. AFP PHOTO/ Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE RUSSIA-UNREST-POLITICS-CRIMEA

  A Russian soldier cleans his shoes outside the navy headquarters in Simferopol on March 18, 2014.. Russia’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled on March 19, 2014 that President Vladimir Putin acted legally by signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia, in an essential step in the Russian legal process towards ratifying the treaty. AFP PHOTO/ Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE RUSSIA-UNREST-POLITICS-CRIMEA

  A Russian soldier patrols as Ukranian soldiers talk to friends from the Ukranian navy headquarters in Simferopol on March 18, 2014. Russia’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled on March 19, 2014 that President Vladimir Putin acted legally by signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia, in an essential step in the Russian legal process towards ratifying the treaty. AFP PHOTO/ Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE RUSSIA-UNREST-POLITICS-CRIMEA

  An Ukranian soldier patrols inside the Ukranian navy headquarters in Simferopol on March 18, 2014. Russia’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled on March 19, 2014 that President Vladimir Putin acted legally by signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia, in an essential step in the Russian legal process towards ratifying the treaty. AFP PHOTO/ Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE RUSSIA-UNREST-POLITICS-CRIMEA

  Russian soldiers stand guard as a woman gives food to an Ukranian soldier standing guard inside the Ukranian navy headquarters in Simferopol on March 18, 2014. Russia’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled on March 19, 2014 that President Vladimir Putin acted legally by signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia, in an essential step in the Russian legal process towards ratifying the treaty. AFP PHOTO/ Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE RUSSIA-UNREST-POLITICS-CRIMEA

  A Russian soldiers cleans his shoes near an Ukranian soldier standing guard inside the Ukranian navy headquarters in Simferopol on March 18, 2014. Russia’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled on March 19, 2014 that President Vladimir Putin acted legally by signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia, in an essential step in the Russian legal process towards ratifying the treaty. AFP PHOTO/ Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE RUSSIA-UNREST-POLITICS-CRIMEA

  Russian soldiers stand guard as a woman gives food to an Ukranian soldier standing guard inside the Ukranian navy headquarters in Simferopol on March 18, 2014. Russia’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled on March 19, 2014 that President Vladimir Putin acted legally by signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia, in an essential step in the Russian legal process towards ratifying the treaty. AFP PHOTO/ Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE RUSSIA-UNREST-POLITICS-CRIMEA

  An Ukranian soldiers stands behind the fence as Russian soldiers patrol outside the navy headquarters in Simferopol on March 18, 2014. Russia’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled on March 19, 2014 that President Vladimir Putin acted legally by signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia, in an essential step in the Russian legal process towards ratifying the treaty. AFP PHOTO/ Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE RUSSIA-UNREST-POLITICS-CRIMEA

  A woman talks to Russian soldiers patrolling outside the navy headquarters in Simferopol on March 18, 2014. Russia’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled on March 19, 2014 that President Vladimir Putin acted legally by signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia, in an essential step in the Russian legal process towards ratifying the treaty. AFP PHOTO/ Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

• RUSSIA-UKRAINE-POLITICS-CRISIS-EU-US-PUTIN

  Russia’s President Vladimir Putin drinks as he addresses a joint session of Russian parliament on Crimea in the Kremlin in Moscow on March 18, 2014. Putin signed today a treaty with the leaders of Crimea on the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula becoming part of Russia, state television showed. AFP PHOTO/KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images)

• RUSSIA-UKRAINE-POLITICS-CRISIS-EU-US-PUTIN

  Russia’s President Vladimir Putin addresses a joint session of Russian parliament on Crimea in the Kremlin in Moscow on March 18, 2014. Putin signed today a treaty with the leaders of Crimea on the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula becoming part of Russia, state television showed. AFP PHOTO/ POOL/ SERGEI ILNITSKY (Photo credit should read SERGEI ILNITSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

• RUSSIA-UKRAINE-POLITICS-CRISIS-EU-US-PUTIN

  Russia’s President Vladimir Putin looks on as he addresses a joint session of Russian parliament on Crimea in the Kremlin in Moscow on March 18, 2014. Putin signed today a treaty with the leaders of Crimea on the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula becoming part of Russia, state television showed. AFP PHOTO/KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images)

• RUSSIA-UKRAINE-POLITICS-CRISIS-EU-US-PUTIN

  Russia’s President Vladimir Putin addresses a joint session of Russian parliament on Crimea in the Kremlin in Moscow on March 18, 2014. Putin signed today a treaty with the leaders of Crimea on the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula becoming part of Russia, state television showed. AFP PHOTO/KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images)

• RUSSIA-UKRAINE-POLITICS-CRISIS-EU-US-PUTIN

  Russia’s President Vladimir Putin addresses a joint session of Russian parliament on Crimea in the Kremlin in Moscow on March 18, 2014. Putin signed today a treaty with the leaders of Crimea on the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula becoming part of Russia, state television showed. AFP PHOTO/ POOL/ SERGEI ILNITSKY (Photo credit should read SERGEI ILNITSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

• RUSSIA-UKRAINE-POLITICS-CRISIS-EU-US-PUTIN

  Russia’s President Vladimir Putin addresses a joint session of Russian parliament on Crimea in the Kremlin in Moscow on March 18, 2014. Putin signed today a treaty with the leaders of Crimea on the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula becoming part of Russia, state television showed. AFP PHOTO/ POOL/ SERGEI ILNITSKY (Photo credit should read SERGEI ILNITSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

• RUSSIA-UKRAINE-POLITICS-CRISIS-EU-US-PUTIN

  Russia’s President Vladimir Putin arrives to address a joint session of Russian parliament on Crimea in the Kremlin in Moscow on March 18, 2014. Putin signed today a treaty with the leaders of Crimea on the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula becoming part of Russia, state television showed. AFP PHOTO/ POOL/ SERGEI ILNITSKY (Photo credit should read SERGEI ILNITSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

• CORRECTION-UKRAINE-RUSSIA-UNREST-POLITICS

  A man holds a Russian flag as he secures the Crimean parliament building in central Simferopol on March 17, 2014. Crimea declared independence today and applied to join Russia while the Kremlin braced for sanctions after the flashpoint peninsula voted to leave Ukraine in a ballot that has fanned the worst East-West tensions since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO / DIMITAR DILKOFF CAPTION CORRECTION CORRECTING FLAG (Photo credit should read DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images)

• US-POLITICS-UKRAINE-OBAMA

  US President Barack Obama speaks about the situation in the Crimea region of Ukraine during a statement in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, March 17, 2014. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

• US-POLITICS-UKRAINE-OBAMA

  US President Barack Obama leaves after speaking about the situation in the Crimea region of Ukraine during a statement in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, March 17, 2014. The United States and Europe targeted Vladimir Putin’s inner circle on Monday, slapping sanctions on senior officials to pressure the Kremlin to abandon moves to annex Crimea. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

• US-POLITICS-UKRAINE-OBAMA

  US President Barack Obama speaks about the situation in the Crimea region of Ukraine during a statement in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, March 17, 2014. The United States and Europe targeted Vladimir Putin’s inner circle on Monday, slapping sanctions on senior officials to pressure the Kremlin to abandon moves to annex Crimea. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

• US-POLITICS-UKRAINE-OBAMA

  US President Barack Obama speaks about the situation in the Crimea region of Ukraine during a statement in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, March 17, 2014. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-UNREST-RUSSIA

  Russian armoured vehicles drive on the road between Simferopol and Sevastopol on March 17, 2014. Ukraine’s foreign minister denounced Russian ‘provocations’ on March 17, 2014, warning of a troop build-up on the border and the presence of ‘political tourists’ in its eastern regions. ‘We are very much concerned by the number of Russian troops on the (border),’ Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya said after talks with NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen. AFP PHOTO/ VIKTOR DRACHEV (Photo credit should read VIKTOR DRACHEV/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-UNREST-RUSSIA

  A Russian armoured vehicle drives on the road between Simferopol and Sevastopol on March 17, 2014. Ukraine’s foreign minister denounced Russian ‘provocations’ on March 17, 2014, warning of a troop build-up on the border and the presence of ‘political tourists’ in its eastern regions. ‘We are very much concerned by the number of Russian troops on the (border),’ Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya said after talks with NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen. AFP PHOTO/ VIKTOR DRACHEV (Photo credit should read VIKTOR DRACHEV/AFP/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-UNREST-RUSSIA

  Russian armoured vehicles drive on the road between Simferopol and Sevastopol on March 17, 2014. Ukraine’s foreign minister denounced Russian ‘provocations’ on March 17, 2014, warning of a troop build-up on the border and the presence of ‘political tourists’ in its eastern regions. ‘We are very much concerned by the number of Russian troops on the (border),’ Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya said after talks with NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen. AFP PHOTO/ VIKTOR DRACHEV (Photo credit should read VIKTOR DRACHEV/AFP/Getty Images)

• Crimea Recognised As Sovereign State By Putin

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 18: Stall holders and members of the public gather round a laptop to watch an address by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on a market stall on March 18, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Speaking at the Kremlin President Putin told a special session of Russia’s parliament that Crimea had ‘always been part of Russia’, and recognised Crimea as a sovereign state. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

• Crimea Recognised As Sovereign State By Putin

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 18: Russian President Vladimir Putin is viewed on a television screen in a cafe on March 18, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Putin celebrated this weekend’s referendum in Crimea, saying that 96% who voted chose to join Russia. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 16: People in Lenin Square attend a pro Russian rally after a day of voting on March 16, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimean’s went to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing toÊ push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favor Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 16: People in Lenin Square attend a pro Russian rally after a day of voting on March 16, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimean’s went to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing toÊ push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favor Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 16: People in Lenin Square attend a pro Russian rally after a day of voting on March 16, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimean’s went to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing toÊ push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favor Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 16: People in Lenin Square attend a pro Russian rally after a day of voting on March 16, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimean’s went to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing toÊ push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favor Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 16: Election staff begin the count at a polling station after a day of voting on March 16, 2014 in Bachchisaray, Ukraine. Crimeans go to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing to push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favour Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

• Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 16: People in Lenin Square attend a pro Russian rally after a day of voting on March 16, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimean’s went to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing toÊ push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favor Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 16: People in Lenin Square attend a pro Russian rally after a day of voting on March 16, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimean’s went to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing toÊ push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favor Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 16: People in Lenin Square attend a pro Russian rally after a day of voting on March 16, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimean’s went to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing toÊ push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favor Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-RUSSIA-UNREST-POLITICS-CRIMEA

  Pro-Russian supporters gather in Simferopol’s Lenin Square on March 16, 2014 after exit polls showed that about 93 percent of voters in Ukraine’s Crimea region supported union with Russia. Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to join former political master Russia as tensions soared in the east of the splintered ex-Soviet nation amid the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

• Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 16: People in Lenin Square attend a pro Russian rally after a day of voting on March 16, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimean’s went to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing toÊ push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favor Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 16: People in Lenin Square attend a pro Russian rally after a day of voting on March 16, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimean’s went to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing toÊ push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favor Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• UKRAINE-RUSSIA-POLITICS-CRISIS

  Pro-Russian demonstrators hold Russian flags, as they gather in Simferopol’s Lenin Square on March 16, 2014. Crimeans voted overwhelmingly on March 16 in favour of joining former political master Russia as tensions soared in the east of the splintered ex-Soviet nation amid the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War. Exit polls cited by local officials showed 93 percent of the voters in favour of leaving Ukraine and joining Russia in the most serious redrawing of the map of Europe since Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

• Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 16: Election staff begin the count at a polling station after a day of voting on March 16, 2014 in Bachchisaray, Ukraine. Crimeans go to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing to push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favour Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

• Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum

  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE – MARCH 16: Election staff begin the count at a polling station after a day of voting on March 16, 2014 in Bachchisaray, Ukraine. Crimeans go to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing to push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favour Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)