Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk will go to the White House to meet with US President Barack Obama on Wednesday of this week, in a prominent show of support for Kiev’s fledgling government, in the face of Russia’s military occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula. 

This comes as German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Russia’s President Vladimir Putin a planned referendum on whether Crimea should join Russia was illegal and violated Ukraine's constitution.  British Prime Minister David Cameron was also on that phone call with Vladimir Putin, urging him to “de-escalate” and form a contact group to facilitate direct dialogue between Moscow and Kiev.

Last week, Merkel said if no progress was made in negotiations with Russia, the European Union might go ahead and hit Russia with sanctions such as travel restrictions and asset freezes.  How far Berlin will go remains to be seen, as Germany is heavily dependent on Russia oil and gas – and may not be looking forward to another lengthy period of having an isolated and distrustful Russia just over the horizon.

The White House says that President Obama's meeting with Yatsenyuk on Wednesday will focus on peacefully resolving the Russian military incursion while preserving Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.