Obama sets red lines for Putin on Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — Western powers are prepared "to go to the hilt" to isolate Russia for its military incursion into Ukraine, "an incredible act of aggression" that may lead to visa bans, asset freezes, trade and investment penalties, and a boycott of a Russian-hosted economic summit of global powers in June, Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday.

Kerry said Russian President Vladimir Putin should respect the democratic process through which the Ukrainian people ousted their pro-Russian president and assembled a new government.

But President Barack Obama had pressed his case in a 90-minute phone call Saturday with Putin, calling Russia's actions "a clear violation" of Ukraine's sovereignty, and asking for his forces to pull back, and still the situation only grew more dire Sunday.

Ukraine's new prime minister warned that "we are on the brink of disaster," while hundreds of armed men in trucks and armored vehicles surrounded a Ukrainian military base in Crimea.

Despite the strong words Sunday from America's top diplomat, the Obama administration struggled to find a response that might deter Putin, who contends that the turmoil in its neighbor posed real threats to the life and health of Russian citizens living in Ukraine and that Moscow has the right to protect them.

Russia's "incredible act of aggression" amounts to "a stunning willful choice" by Putin to invade another country on a "trumped-up pretext," Kerry said.

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