Russia Defies U.S. on Crimea

Russian President Vladimir Putin “signed a decree late Monday night formally recognizing Ukraine’s Crimea region as a ‘sovereign and independent state,’ defying the United States and Europe just hours after they imposed their first financial sanctions since the crisis began and laying the groundwork for possible annexation,” the New York Times reports.

“The moves showed that Moscow had no intention of backing down in the face of Western sanctions over a dispute that has created a profound rift in East-West relations and threatens the security of borders created after the Soviet Union’s breakup in the early 1990s.”

Washington Post: “Popular at home but under fire abroad, Putin has little time to savor the rapid takeover of Crimea. The Russian president is scheduled to appear Tuesday before his country’s parliament to lay out a vision for what should happen next.”