WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States condemned on Tuesday a referendum on secession planned by pro-Russian separatists for Sunday as "bogus" and an "illegal effort to further divide Ukraine."
"This is the Crimea playbook all over again. No civilized nation will recognize the results. And if Russia takes the next step to re-enact its illegal Crimea annexation in eastern or southern Ukraine and sends more forces over the border, harsh U.S. and EU sanctions will follow," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.