mr. vladimir putin has listen to >> apparently so, but let's keep in mind that mr. vladimir putin, we don't know where he's going to go next. we don't know what country he will go into to go back to the old soviet union. but there are things that we can do that people are talking about sanctions and visa and trade embargoes and all of that. we have some shifts in the black sea and the baltic sea and some f-22 planes over to poland. beyond highly sophisticated antimissile weaponry. >> that will send a message. our ability to defend america in terms of the army of this administration. at least that would give us something to shows us that we so maybe have power. >> senator, how much of that kind of response, by the way i want to point out that we have the former commander that recommends an asymmetrical approach, putting in another group with two carrier task forces. and we would have dominant military power. my question becomes how much of this is about the american perception of well, that is that we need to feel robust and capable, if you will, when people work agai

mr. vladimir putin tear down these walls. develop or intimidation and military aggression, let's stop.et's calm down. >> lou: secretary of state john kerry not quite as diplomatic in his testimony delivered to the house appropriations committee ahead of a scheduled trip o london tomorrow where he will meet with russian foreign minister circa a logger off. the secretary state. >> very quickly on ukraine it can get ugly fast if the wrong choices are made. they can get ugly in multiple directions. so, our hope is that indeed there is a way to have a reasonable outcome here. he will speak to our first guest says the obama administration needs to ensure that the new prime minister the ukraine doesn't leave the united states empty-handed. he needs proposals and plans for moving forward. former vice chief of chat general jack mckeon. general, great chief of chat general jack mckeon. general, great to have you with us. >> good to see you, louis b with two obvious and perhaps helpful display of support on for president obama bringing ukrainian prime minister to the white house. what does he nee

to take a tough stance, on what russian policy is, and trying to make sure, and mr vladimir putin wille made to suffer because of what he was doing. >> most polls tell you a russian invagus is unlikely -- invasion is unlikely. even so, when you foe is looking dangerous, it's no time to play solo. >> the venezuelan government september more than 1,000 security officers into a part of caracas controlled bit the opposition. protesters have been fighting with government forces for over a month. at least 29 have died. this report from the capital. >> the streets and emblem attic plazas of the main opposition strong hold awoke dressed in olive green, taken over by the venezuelan national guard. >> this the culmination of two consecutive days of running battles between anti-government protesters and security forces. after president nicolas maduro announced he'd implement a plan to liberate the area. what you see are police and national guards under the new orders. that is to go on the offensive, to prevent protesters in this opposition strongholds from building barricades or roadblocks as the

mr. vladimir putin -- successful policy. that is in trouble because of the siege of the crimea. there is an important ethnic minority that have very good relations with the turks. they would like very much to remain part of ukraine. clear thatr has made the referendum is a scam and ukraine is the sovereign power in crimea. the russian aggression in crimea and ukraine has hurt its relationship with turkey. >> does that happen effect on russia's relationship with germany? we know that germany has had a relationship with turkey. is there a certain irony that turkey which has a muslim population alive with the ukraine government in kiev? aggressiony russia's in ukraine is violating all kinds of international agreements and law. it has also worsened it relationship with germany here because germany understands what russia has done is a real threat to security in europe and more broadly angela merkel who has a good relationship with ottoman putin had a bad -- with vladimir putin had a big speech where he says -- she says if he supports the independenced of crimea, there will be seriou

it has a certain degree of power, but i doubt it will dissuade mr vladimir putin. the g7 weighed in. warning russia as to the annexation of russia. because of the lack of adequate preparation and the intimidating presence of russian troops, the referendum would have no force and the g7 would not recognise the outcome. vladimir putin, does moral force, is that something that matter to him when he's deciding on policy. >> i don't think it is. i think what matters to him is traditional power in the form of military power is money. united states is authorised sanctions against individuals and the russian government associated with the invasion of crimea. but the problem is that our european allies are not willing to go that far. places like london are dependent on russian finance and are baulking at the idea of sanctioning specific people. unless we can get on the same page, i doubt that will amount to much. >> sergei lavrov and john kerry will meet in london. will anything come out of that. >> that will interesting. secretary of state john kerry has been trying to get

but i think the message going forward to mr vladimir putin was keep your hands off eastern ukraine.ou are completely isolated. all the members of the united nations saying what you are doing in crimea is wrong. don't even think about going over eastern ukraine, which is part of the ukraine which looks towards moscow for all aspects of life in the same way that the crimea does. >> it's an area where it looks like russia is slowly moving towards. >> well, is it does look as if we see the movement of russian troops. there's a long way to go. despite what people say about the security council, it is the world body charged with looking after peace and security in the world. whatever happens, everything ultimately has to end up back there. we are in for a busy week at the security council. >> john terrett fresh back from covering that. >> as we said it's sunday in ukraine. polls will open in less than six hours. locals are divided, but there are larger forces at play, we have this report from barnaby phillips in simferepol. >> they don't want to live in russia, but want crimea to stay ukr

mr. putin, operator in the kremlin, which is a fascinating look into the identities of vladimir putin. it may come in useful in the future. on my left we have steve pifer and a former ambassador and former assistant secretary at the state department. to my right we have a senior fellow and author of more books than i have read in a veteran analyst of all of these types of crises. let's kick it off and let's start with you, if you don't mind. i'm wondering if you can give us a sense of what are the russians doing in the ukraine and what are they trying to accomplish. >> are well aware this is a complex situation in crimea and the ukraine. the best evidence includes these conflicting views about this. and so this is a culmination and a long-established interest in crimea, not just with a strategic relationship of the ukraine. if we all go back to the 1990s at a time when steve was one of our early investors in the ukraine. there have been a host of those at all different levels, including under boris yeltsin, the first president over crimea. crimea is the one that got away with the post-

vladimir putin. >> i said that we were... >> let me finish my statement. >> that is that mr vladimir putin was not going to see sevastopol go. >> early last week we were aware of the threats. we don't accept anything that vladimir putin says as fact. >> the top republican accused mr obama of weakness abroad and said russia's move into crimea is a result. >> this is a moment when barack obama will have to leave. still, there were signs that republicans will stand behind the president on economic aid to ukraine. >> the majority working with committee chairs on a possible bill dealing with sanctions that could strengthen the president's hand. >> the question. will europe, which is more dependent on russian trade agree to sanctions. >> does to present a problem in going along with what secretary kerry wants. >> they have been clear about willingness and openness about hold initials in ukraine accountable. >> we continue to follow the event in ukraine as they upfold. >> for breaking news and updates check out the live blog on aljazeera.com. >> and we are finally clearing out the rain, ice and snow that hit north carolina, and on

return to stanford university as an expert on the region and the country and its president, vladimir putin. mrambassador, a lot of folks on tv over the weekend seem to desperately want this to be a plot line, putin versus obama. if you're vladimir putin, however, how much is the u.s. a part of your thinking and how much is this truly a domestic matter to you? >> well, for president putin, ukraine is very important to his vision of creating what he calls a eurasian economic union. and just a month ago he was victorious in his view when then president yanukovych rejected the european and started negotiations with russia. but then just a few weeks ago, that president, yanukovych fled russia, and that was a big blow to putin, a big blow of what should happen in terms of his vision in terms of russian and ukraine. this is his counterpunch to let everybody know that he is going to be the dominant power in his view in this part of the world. >> and what is possibly going to motivate him to want to listen to the west and listen to among others the president of the united states? >> well, if i'm talkin

mr. putin announced -- vladimir putin now says now about financial aid to crimea. as you know, we have decided to organize work in the russian regions to aid crimea which has turned to us for humanitarian support. we will provide it, of course. i competent say how much, when or how. the government is working on this by bringing together the regions bordering on crimea by providing additional support to our regions so they could help the people in crimea. we will do it, of course. regarding the deployment of troops, the use of armed forces, so far there is no need for it but the possibility remains. i repeat today, vladimir putin said regarding the deployment of troops, the use of armed forces, so far there is no need for it, but the possibility remains. now, this is a return to the old russian soviet doublespeak which was absolute nonsense, but they said it anyway. he goes on to say what is our biggest concern? we see the rampage of reactionary forces, nationalist and antisemitic forces going on in certain parts of ukraine including kiev. when we see -- when we see

mr. vladimir putin is it we'll protect our russian come patriots which is not just russia citizens, it's basically russian citizens wherever they may be. military action either by design in eastern ukraine, or if something happens in crimea. if crimea declares itself independent and then they say to the ukrainian military you have to leave, and the ukrainian military says, no, we're going to stay on our bases, a military conflict. that could change the game in terms of how mr. putin is seen in ukraine and europe and perhaps back in russia. >> mike, this is confusing episode for the chinese. can you give us some sense how they might be viewing this? >> i'll try my best. a couple of points. first point is it's a very difficult but different problem in east asia in the sense that as you reverendded with the south china sea and the east championship sea, what is disputed is not territory anybody is living on, almost exclusively, and so that makes it a much different kind of problem. not necessarily easier or harder but different. so, that makes me feel a wee bit better in the sense there's n

media are reporting that president obama spoke a short time ago by phone with russian president vladimir putin. mrama reportedly raised concerns about russia's plan for possible intervention in ukraine. no word on president putin's response to those confirmed. we've got fred pleitkin. but also jim acosta. >> reporter: it's been a week and a day since the two leaders spoke, a senior administration official confirms president obama spoke with vladimir putin earlier today. we expect a read out from the white house shortly as to what they discussed during that phone call. as you know, jim, the kremlin got the jump a little bit on the white house here in terms of what the contents of that call were. and it does seem that vladimir putin and president obama have a disagreement here as to who is responsible for the unrest, the uncertainty in ukraine. vladimir putin according to a statement coming out of the kremlin says that this is due to ultranationalists in ukraine. so we're waiting to see exactly what the white house has to say about this phone call and what the president expressed. one thing we shoul

taking place, et cetera, and vladimir putin will be invited to different things, it would mean that the west already - it it does develop. it would mean that it's possible for mrmir putin to behave this way. strengthening his power in, internationally. >> finally, let me raids a brief scenario. do you think under any circumstances, u.s. imposed sanctions will back fire on obama and america. i think so. i think sanctions, individual sanctio sanctions against those people who are sitting in the russian parliament who calls themselves deputies, who make this possible. and help mr putin to make this possible. i think against them, individuals with limitations, like bans and frozen financial assets, that will be absolutely on touch and effective measures. and in this case it would in this case stop, and in this case of the power of vladimir putin's power will start to dilute. >> former prime minister under vladimir putin. thank you so much for being with us this morning. >> my pleasure. >> voting is underway in serbia, 6.5 million people are headed to the polls to elected a perimeter. the ruling party is expected to maintain power thanks to a popular corruption cam

mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of the ukraine support act. vladimir putin'secent annexation of crimea stand in direct violation of ukraine's sovereignty and international law. his aggression may only continue unless we in america along with our allies respond with strength. newspaper reports indicate that putin may not be content with swallowing crimea whole, and that he is now amassing troops on the border with eastern ukraine and may soon have his eyes on moldova. the eyes of the world are on the united states and our e.u. and nato partners. adversaries and allies around the world are watching to see how we respond to this outrageous provocation. to see whether we mean it when we say putin's actions are unacceptable. it is vitally important that the united states in conjunction with our e.u. and nato allies send an unmistakable signal that this aggression will not be tolerated. together we must be prepared to exact a significant cost for russia's behavior, and that mr. putin's actions will be met with the firmest of resolve. this bill is a first step toward

mr. vladimir putin but it is important that we try. host: from twitter -- why is the the supporting the coup in ukraine, but did not support the uprising in iran. do we hate russia more than a ran? -- iran? guest: that has always been a long u.s. engagement with ukraine, and going back to the 1994 security assurances, the 1996 establishment of a strategic relationship -- there has been a significant relationship between washington of thev to mike and one reasons why the u.s. takes an , and one of the reasons the u.s. has taken an while he wouldt like to put in stable democratic institutions, informed policy terms, ukraine has been a good friend. nuclear the third arsenal, and at our quest got rid of that. 2004, ukraine and the fourth-largest contingent of troops in the coalition force in iraq. ukraine has been very responsive to american requests. that is one of the reasons why the united states is more responsive to the ukraine in its current crisis. talk about the role of german chancellor angela merkel here. here is a president of h

the list of sanctions against russians to include several people close to russian president vladimir putin. mr. obama also laid the groundwork for more targeting their financial services, energy, mining, engineering and defense industries. >> these sanctions would not only have a significant impact on the russian economy, but could also be disruptive to the global economy. >> in retaliation russia banned nine u.s. officials from entering their country including senate majority leader harry reid and speaker john boehner, all said they were proud to be included on the list. senator john mccain went a step further and laughed at being included tweeting "i guess this means my spring break in siberia is off. my gazprom stock is lost and my secret bank account in moscow is frozen." >> well, first lady michelle obama is well under her first day of a week-long visit to china and arrived yesterday in beijing, the first of three cities she'll visit. already today mrs. obama has tried some chinese calligraphy at a high school. on sunday she'll visit the great wall of china. >>> mounting legal bills are f

mr. putin, vladimir, i never met you. i don't have experience in international diplomacy, but i have a very particular set of skills. skills that will make me a nightmare for someone like you. >> just in case liam doesn't take care of business, the president is hoining h honing hn skills. (applause) >> if only that were true. putin's tinks just keep rolling in obama is working on his own rolling. the sad part about all of this folks is that it is real life. you deserve more than a comedy show. you deserve more than being subjected to angry rhetoric and the failure of washington to accomplish anything. mr. reid since you are not compromising these days i have a good book for you someone in your own party a giant you could learn a lot from. he knew how to work with everyone to bring people together and the uniting power of the word us and we the book is called master of the senate, the man president lyndon johnson. mr. president a little reading for you, too, on what it means to be a leader. try ronald reagan, fdr, true ma.

mr. putin to surprise him. >> vladimir putin might be somebody who finally drives some of the republicanser to the president. john mccain was on the lift of nine u.s. officials targeted with the tit-for-tat sanctions for putin. a couple of who is aides and harry reid, but senator mccain said, oh well, i'll have to cancer my summer break with the family in siberia. >> if you're a russian -- oligarch, you had time to hide your money or do something. i they going to have any teeth to them? >> the question -- you're right. so far the first round of sanctions didn't hurt the russian economy. the ruble is coming back. the russian stock market has been coming back. the hope inside the white house, obviously, is that this time it will distract some economic pain and that ultimately that is what is going to get through to vladimir putin. obviously on the world stage he has been the bully, going around and doing his thing, but if his economy starts taking a hit they feel like the russian people won't be onboard for more of these shen unanimous begins -- shenanigans. >> what if i told you that puti

mr. obama belittled russian president vladimir putin, calling russia "a regional power." >> russia's actions are a problem. they don't pose the number one national security threat to the united states. i continue to be much more concerned when it comes to our security with the prospect of a nuclear weapon going off in dnhattan. co pelley: today, mr. obama also ff iosed changes to a controversial surveillance program in which the national security agency scoops up the plone records of americans. here's bob orr on the new plan. >> reporter: under the administration's proposal, telephone companies like verizon and at&t would collect the phone records of millions of americans and retain the data for 18 months. the government could only access specific records with court orders in terrorism investigations. president obama said today the new approach would balance privacy and security concerns. en i am confident that it allows us to do what is necessary in order to deal with the dangers ddom a terrorist attack but does so in a way that addresses some of the concerns people have >>ised. >> reporter

mr. secretary, are you saying that vladimir putin will be isolated by his actions, but today he seemed defiant, speaking for hours, and taking questions, and saying among other things that russia reserves the right to take any actions, and he described events here as an unconstitutional coup. he denied that there were any russian troops in crimea, and he blaze the crisis on the u.s. >> he really denied that there were troops in crimea? >> reporter: yes, he did. he said that the united states was acting as though it was conducting an experiment across the ocean on lab rats here. he showed no signs of being willing to step down, except to desolate the military presence in crimea. there have been shots fired today, russian ships along the isthmus between ukraine and crimea. so with all of that. what is the reaction? and also. >> not at all. i thought i might bump into her, but i didn't. i had meetings with the current group that represents the parties that have come together. and most likely -- who i've been in touch and working with, that with in munich previously, so we continue that conversati

mr. obama's options are limited, and vladimir putin doesn't seem to be listening. >> this is an act of aggression that's really trumped up. it's really 19th century behavior in the 21st century. >> reporter: with russia ignoring u.s. warnings, secretary kerry says the country will, quote, pay a price, if president vladimir putin doesn't withdraw his forces from ukraine. but how steep will that price be? >> he is not going to have a sochi g-8. he may not even remain in the g-8 if this continues. he may find himself with asset freezes on russian business. american business may pull back. there may be a further tumble of the ruble. >> reporter: kerry also said he had spoken to ten foreign ministers who are prepared to isolate russia economically. but that tough talk contrasts with the secretary's vague descriptions of how far the u.s. c is prepared to go. >> david, the last thing anybody wants is a military option in this kind of situation. >> reporter: the u.s. and several of its g-8 partners, including britain, france, italy and canada, have said they won't attend the planning meetings for the g-8

just learned that president obama has spoken with his counterpart the russian president vladimir putin moments ago. mr. putin reportedly said his country reserves the right to protect its interests and of russian speakers if violence in ukraine or crimea continues. and we're just learning now that samantha powers moments ago here at the united nations, left side of your screen, was speaking, she said actions were more powerful than words, it's ironic that russia goes out of its way to talk about concerns of sovereignty yet it has not done so with ukraine. we'll continue to follow what's happening here. >>> there are growing concerns over president obama's u.s. ambassador appointment, soap opera, that's right, soap opera producer, colleen bell, the ambassador to hungary, stumbling through her senate confirmation hearing. she is called a bundler, if you know what that means. you raise a lot of money. millions of dollars. the president, she did so for two elections for president obama. but she is -- is raising campaign cash, enough of a qualification to serve as the president's personal representative ov

. >> mr ambassador, you'll wonder when you hear vladimir putin and other members of the leadership speaking and you'll here president obama today. whether their positions now, this late into the crisis are so mutually excusive that someone will have to calm down. >> president obama has been firm and tough. and the meeting in the oeble office with the interim prime minister of ukraine sends a strong message of support for ukraine and the people of ukraine. at the same time the president said he's prepared to use sanctions. it was referred to as important because it shows the united states and europe were prepared to speak in one voice and act together. everyone wants to avoid the circumstance, find an off-ramp and resolve the issue diplomatically. we talked about time. first of all, secretary kerry is meeting with the russian counterpart. we hope the referendum can by avoided. if it can't be there'll be additional time for dip loam as which so long as it's coupled by positions, by united states. because russia has to take additional steps before any annexation of crimea into the russian frig

vladimir putin. >> senator, i said that they were -- >> let me finish my statement. mr putin was not going so see sevastopol go. >> early last week we were well aware of the threats. we don't accept anything that vladimir putin says as fact. >> russia's move into crimea is a direct result. >> this president has eroded ukrainian president, and this is a moment where president obama will have to leave. >> there are signs when republicans could stand behind the president on diplomatic aid. >> he is working on a bailout package, a bill dealing with sanctions. that could strengthen the president's hand. >> the question now, will europe, which is dependent on russian trade, agree to sanctions? >> does that present a problem in getting the e.u. and the european nations to go along with what secretary of state john kerry wants. >> they have been clear about their willingness and openness to hold officials, whether in ukraine or russia accountable. that is what the discussion is about. >> the white house has pledged 1 billion in aid including a low guarantee for energy. more on

mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of the ukraine support act. vladimir putin's recent annexation of crimea stand in direct violation of ukraine's sovereignty and international law. his aggression may only continue unless we in america along with our allies respond with strength. newspaper reports indicate that putin may not be content with swallowing crimea whole, and that he is now amassing troops on the border with eastern ukraine and may soon have his eyes on moldova. the eyes of the world are on the united states and our e.u. and nato partners. adversaries and allies around the world are watching to see how we respond to this outrageous provocation. to see whether we mean it when we say putin's actions are unacceptable. it is vitally important that the united states in conjunction with our e.u. and nato allies send an unmistakable signal that this aggression will not be tolerated. together we must be prepared to exact a significant cost for russia's behavior, and that mr. putin's actions will be met with the firmest of resolve. this bill is a first step towa

if that happens, vladimir putin mr send the 150,000 troops that were practicing into south and eastern ukraine. i find the sanctions and the discussion of sanctions a little beside the point, particularly since the people who have been sanctioned on both sides are proud that they were named. i mean, it's just not going to the - to the grave danger we face, or so i think. >> and so what should president barack obama be doing? >> the first thing that would be excellent. is that everybody stop talking about escalating the military factor. president obama said - he said that we won't resort to military, but - meaning the kiev government and supplies. the most bellicose are speaks men for n.a.t.o. - american and in europe. the russian foreign office put forward the set of proposals on which to begin talks. i think they are reasonable. i mean, you don't give them everything they want. it's a starting point. what i don't hear it coming from the united states is a response that suggests we are ready to sit down and kauk. to be fair, maybe somewhere we don't know about there are serious people

vladimir putin. we're happy to say, he's also an analyst for us here at nbc news. so mr. ambassador, how strange a feeling for everything you learned and studied about vladimir putin to be coming true right now this kind of slow motion invasion with troops walking the streets, some of them with the safeties off their weapons and fingers on the triggers. there's no joy in the answer, but do you think we're looking at an eventual partitioning of ukraine? >> well, it's most certainly a possibility, there's no doubt about it. if you listen to the president, putin's press conference today, i heard two very distinct contradictory messages. on the one hand he said it was our fault that there was the revolution in kiev, and we need to have a process to bring a legitimate government to ukraine that he would recognize. and he said he had no intention of annexing crimea. but on the other hand, he said because of the revolution, that was the word he used in kiev, russia is no longer obligated to commit to international treaties and agreements that they signed with the previous ukraini

to the "times," after angela merkel talked to vladimir putin on the phone last night she called president obama and told him that she was not sure that mrut it, in touch with reality. she said vladimir putin was "in another world." but here's the puzzle. at the same time germany is also the eu nation that so far is the one saying no to the idea of moving against president "in another world" by kicking russia out of the g8. so on the other hand germany says putin is wrongfully invading another country and when you talk to him right now he sounds [ whistling ] but on the other hand saying he should definitely keep a spot in the g8 in that elite economic group. they say russia is behaving abominably and their president is a crazy man right now but don't take this step to isolate them economically. why not? russia is number two, second only to saudi arabia in the amount of crude oil that they export. and a lot of these crude oil exports go to europe. the european union relies on russia for 30% of their oil. similar story with natural gas. russia second only to the united states in terms of natural gas production. and europe, again, gets a t

vladimir putin doesn't believe that the cold war is over. when the president of the united states is overheard to say to mr. putin's puppet, mr. medvedev, tell vladimir that after i'm reelected, i'll be more flexible. it's time we got real. >> your response. >> well, i just wanted to agree with governor richardson. there are things we can do to strengthen nato in the east where nato is. that would be to strengthen our forward defendantses in latvia, estonia, lithuania and go back to the missile defense agreement in poland. i agree with that. on the clip you just played, i don't think it's fair to blame president obama for what's happening in ukraine. it's not his fault that putin has committed an act of violation of international law, but i do think it's an opportunity for the president now to be the leader of nato, to rally nato to defend itself, the nato countries and to try to get effective assistance into ukraine and leave the opposition politically to putin around the world. we ought to be asking our allies in asia and partners in the middle east to stand up and be critical of the russian government. the nato alliance is t

mr. obama spoke to russian president vladimir putin saying there is a way to resolve this diplomatically. >> the crisis nlt ukraine took another turn today, lawmakers in crimea announced they want to join russia and will put the decision to voters in ten days. >> abc news reporter are carren travers wlatest in washington, d.c. >> these decisions continue efforts to impose a cost on russia. z.those responsible for the situation in crimea. >> their second sit down in two days but again, no major break through. kerry pushed for russians to speak to the ukrainins to allow international inspectors into eastern ukraine. >> our preference to get back to a place where the rights of the people of the ukraine will be respected. >> the obama administration isn't just relying on diplomacy the pentagon sent more fighter jets to the region officials from the local government are trying to break out from ukraine, joining a russian federation the president said that would violate international law and any decisions about crimia must involve the new ukrainin government. >> we're well beyond the days where

mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of the ukraine support act. vladimir putin's recent annexation of crimea stand in direct violation of ukraine's sovereignty and international law. his aggression may only continue unless we in america along with our allies respond with strength. newspaper reports indicate that putin may not be content with swallowing crimea whole, and that he is now amassing troops on the border with eastern ukraine and may soon have his eyes on moldova. the eyes of the world are on the united states and our e.u. and nato partners. adversaries and allies around the world are watching to see how we respond to this outrageous provocation. to see whether we mean it when we say putin's actions are unacceptable. it is vitally important that the united states in conjunction with our e.u. and nato allies send an unmistakable signal that this aggression will not be tolerated. together we must be prepared to exact a significant cost for russia's behavior, and that mr. putin's actions will be met with the firmest of resolve. this bill is a first step towa

vladimir putin. >> if that's your attitude, mr. president. what the hell are we paying you fo >> chris christie's first appearance since the george washington bridge scandal headlines a conference as the republicans gear up for an election year battle. >>> and march madness. a college basketball fan stormed the court to go after a coach of a rival team. captioning funded by cbs >>> this ie >>> this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, march 7th, 2014. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. in a statement released early this morning, russian president vladimir putin said russians' actions in ukraine are, quote, in compliance with international law. president obama spoke with president putin for nearly an hour and says a diplomatic exchange is possible but putin says they're still far away from resolving any crisis. a referendum is set for nine days from now. president obama says the referendum violates international law. >>> any discussion about the future of ukraine must include the legitimate government of ukraine. in 2014

mr. putin if his agenda is as you describe? [inaudible] it will cost vladimir putin.e thinks it is a zero-sum game. it is not a zero-sum game. the problem will be that americans have lots of other things to do. it will go from a serious citizen nation -- it will go into a three situation that affects financial markets. this is something that is really major and big. it will get bigger. their visit -- there is a huge, desperate need for intervention. this is not usual. in a way, i have a hope that this will end. it is terrible. [inaudible] i had my last meeting with putin in the run-up to the work. he made some nice promises, but they were never delivered. he is very clear. he does not want to be here. he wants to be here. >> notwithstanding everything that you have set and all the people i've talked to in the united states, the question remains, is he prepared to go a long way in pursuit of these objectives? what does the west and the united states have to be prepared to do? does it require actions beyond economic sanctions. beyond going into some meeting of other wes

mr. putin and his dreams of russian empire. but the people of ukraine should decide their future, not vladimir putin. we need to work with those people in ukraine to give them a chance at self-governance,to to pursues the values we share here in the united states. i hope my colleagues on a bipartisan basis will join us condemning this russian aggression and standing by the people of ukraine. i see another colleague on the floor, mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: thank you, mr. president. a few years ago, in 2010, president obama announced something he called the national export initiative. the goal of the initiative was to double american exports in five years. that's right double american exports in tief years, something certainly i support. it's been more than four years and it's pretty clear we're going to fall way short of the president's goal. during his state of the union the president pledged to open new markets to american goods. the president specifically requested trade promotion authority, the very next day the democrats' major

mr. obama is facing political blow back at home. in the 2012 campaign, mitt romney called russia america's number one foe. a claim dismissed by president obama. and republicans say he misread president vladimir putin. asked to respond, mr. obama doubled down. >> russia's actions are a problem. and they don't pose the number-one security threat to the united states. i consider to be much more concerned when it comes to our security with the prospect of a nuclear weapon going off in manhattan. >> and what appeared to be a veiled swipe at putin, on the regional stable. >> russia is a regional power that's threatening some of its immediate neighbors. not out of strength, but out of weakness. >> reporter: and on wednesday, the president goes to brussels, belgium, for a major speech on ukraine. mike viquera, aljazeera. >> now keeping a watch on the united states and russia, and i talked to the former editor for the daily beast and asked what he has to say about president obama's comments today. >> president obama is in a difficult position. he's trying to show global unity in the face of russian aggression, and he's trying to dismiss putin's actions as the actions of a weak man, a failing regional power

mr. obama to discuss a diplomatic solution. what is vladimir putin after? >> if you take him at his word-- >> pelley: can you? new calculations show they were looking for flight 370 in the wrong place. holly williams shows us where the search has moved. john blackstone on the search for the missing in the mudslide, including her son and his fiance. >> i don't even think they know what hit them. >> pelley: and steve hartman on the road. the miracle of compounding interest and what myles eckert did. >> it's extra oord. it's amazing. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening, today in rome, president obama called on russia to pull its troops back from the ukrainian border, and tonight, the russian president vladimir putin called president obama to discuss a resolution. president obama said the world is unified in opposing and condemning what he called russia's illegal occupation of ukraine's crimea peninsula. that occupation started last month. now, pentagon correspondent david martin is reporting ton

mr. prime minister do you think these sanctions will change vladimir putin's calculation, will cause him to back down? and where do you see a russian red line, where if they go any further where options beyond sanctions have to be considered? thank you. >> well, jonathan, i think if the premise of the question is that whenever the united states objects to an action and other countries don't immediately do exactly what we want, that that's been the norm, that would pretty much erase most of 20th century history. i think that there's a distinction between us being very clear about what we think is an appropriate action, what we stand for, what principles we believe in, versus what is, i guess implied in the question, that we should engage in some sort of military action to prevent something. the world has always been messy, and what the united states has consistently been able to do, and we continue to be able to do is to mobilize the international community around a set of principles and norms, and where our own self-defense may not be involved, we may not act that we don't steadily push

putin's lengthy march 18th pieces of which we have just heard. now, listen to what mr. obama had to say about what he thinks is in the mind set of vladimir putin. >> he said that he considers the breakup of soviet union to be tragic. i think there is a strong sense of russian nationalism and a sense that somehow the west is taking advantage of russia in the past and that he wants to in some fashion reverse that or make up for that. what i have repeatedly said is that he may be entirely misreading the west. he certainly is misreading american foreign policy. we have no interest in circling russia. we have no interest in ukraine beyond letting the ukrainian people make their own decisions about their own lives. >> question, what do you think of this reasoning of president obama, i ask you? >> look, john, i think it is great that president obama has done this academic break down of trying to read what vladimir putin means but president obama is the leader of the free world. what he is trying to do and it doesn't quite match up with his statements here is to prevent a massive military standoff with the other power, the most powerful nation t