Obama Addresses Ukraine Crisis at Fundraiser: ‘We’re Spending a Lot of Time On It’

March 5, 2014 - 11:25 AM

By Penny Starr

(CNSNews.com) – At a Democratic fund-raising dinner Tuesday in suburban Washington, President Barack Obama told supporters his administration is “spending a lot of time” on the crisis in the Ukraine, where Russian troops – heedless of U.S. warnings -- have taken control of the Crimean Peninsula.

“We may be able to de-escalate over the next several days and weeks, but it’s a serious situation and we’re spending a lot of time on it,” Obama said.

At the event, held in a donor’s private home, Obama said he was “happy” to provide details about Ukraine.

“The essence of it is, is we have a country that has been in a difficult situation for quite some time, that had a president that was closely associated with the Russians, who a large segment of the Ukrainian population did not feel was representing them well, although he had been democratically elected,” Obama said. “You had a crisis inside of Ukraine as a consequence of his decision not to sign an agreement that would have oriented their economy a little more towards the West.

“That got out of control, and we got involved only to prevent initially from bloodshed occurring inside the country and succeeded in doing that,” Obama said. “But, ultimately, a deal that was brokered for a power-sharing arrangement in an election led to him fleeing, and we now have a situation in which the Russians I think are engaging in a fundamental breach of international law in sending troops into the country to try to force the hands of the Ukrainian people.

“We may be able to de-escalate over the next several days and weeks, but it’s a serious situation and we’re spending a lot of time on it,” Obama said.

The Obama administration continues to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

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