Kerry vows ‘serious series of steps’ if Crimea referendum occurs

Kerry vows ‘serious series of steps’ if Crimea referendum occurs
March 13, 2014 - 21:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States and the European Union will respond on Monday with a "serious series of steps" against Russia if a referendum in Ukraine's Crimea region goes ahead on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday, March 13, according to Reuters.

Kerry told a congressional hearing he hoped to avoid such steps, which include sanctions, through discussions with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in London on Friday.

"If there is no sign of any capacity to be able to move forward and resolve this issue there will be a very serious series of steps in Europe and here with respect to the options that are available to us," Kerry said in testimony on the State Department's 2015 budget request.

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