Ukraine PM says there will be no recognition of Crimean referendum
The Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, has told CNBC that there will be no international recognition of the referendum aking the people of Crimea if they wish to join the Russian Federation.
Yatsenyuk said:
No-one will recognise this referendum, apart from maybe North Korea, Syria and Israel.
I want to be very clear – Crimea was, it and will be an integral part of Ukraine. No concessions. Full stop.
Earlier in the day Russian President Vladamir Putin rebuffed condemnations by Barack Obama over the country's incursion into Ukraine.
"Russia cannot ignore calls for help and it acts accordingly, in full compliance with international law," Putin said.
European leaders have denounced the referendum as illegitimate and a violation of the Ukrainian constitution.