Western powers slapped sanctions on more than two dozen Russian officials and their allies in Ukraine's Crimea region on Monday, while Ukrainian officials vowed they would never accept the territory's annexation by Russia.
In a televised address Monday night, interim Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov said his government would do "everything possible" to solve the crisis diplomatically, and he praised his citizens for refusing to respond to Russian provocations with violence.
"The Kremlin is afraid of the democratic future which we are building, and this is the reason for their aggression," Turchynov said. "But this will not be an obstacle to the building of a democratic country."
But he announced a partial mobilization of his country's armed forces and said Ukrainians "have to unite in one big family, which is ready to protect its home." Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said there was "a strong possibility" of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"I still believe that there is only one solution of this crisis, a peaceful one," Yatsenyuk said. "But we offer peace, and Russia offers war."
The Russian-backed breakaway government in Crimea applied to join with Moscow on Monday after a weekend referendum that Ukraine, the United States and the European Union called illegal. U.S. and EU officials announced sanctions on more than two dozen Russian officials and their allies in the region, which Russian-backed forces seized three weeks ago.
In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that recognizes the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Crimea, says a statement on Russia's Kremlin website. The Russian parliament is expected to vote on whether to annex the breakaway territory in the coming days.
Turchynov said Ukraine was willing to hold talks with Russia, "but we will never accept the annexing of our territory."
The EU sanctions include the top pro-Russian Crimean secessionist leaders, 10 leading Russian lawmakers who have endorsed the annexation of Crimea and three top Russian military commanders. The U.S. sanctions list also includes two top advisers to Russian President Vladimir Putin and ex-Ukrainian President Yanukovych, whose February ouster in the face of widespread anti-government protests sparked the current crisis.
In Washington, President Barack Obama warned Moscow: "Further provocations will achieve nothing except to further isolate Russia and diminish its place in the world."
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