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In a much anticipated vote Crimean voters overwhelmingly approved a controversial referendum, and voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.  

This election was strongly denounced by the United States, the European Union and most importantly Ukraine itself, as being illegal and strikes at the very foundation of Ukrainian sovereignty.

On March 21st, the Russian parliament, or Duma, will almost be expected to ratify Sunday’s referendum allowing Crimea into Russia, which will almost certainly trigger sanctions by the west.

The next question is what will be the response by the United States to this referendum? Both US Secretary of State John Kerry and President Obama have repeatedly stated there will be consequences for Russia over its intervention in Crimea.

In the past the President and has placed “red lines” which would trigger a U.S. response and nothing came of these threats.  One has to remember the Syrian crisis of last September as but one example of the president issuing idle threats but failing to follow through.        

On Friday, a Senior State Department official commented, “This is a matter of giving diplomacy every chance to succeed, and if the Russians choose not to take that course, if President Putin chooses not to avail himself of that opportunity, then, as the President has said, there will be costs. There have already been costs, but there will be more costs.”

This statement was in regard to US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov trying to hammer out an agreement before Sunday’s referendum.

Last week President Obama met with interim Ukraine Prime Minister Yatsenyuk and stated, “We have been very clear that we consider the Russian incursion into Crimea outside of its bases to be a violation of international law, of international agreements of which Russia is a signatory, and a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.  And we have been very firm in saying that we will stand with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in ensuring that that territorial integrity and sovereignty is maintained.”

Again the president commented, “We will continue to say to the Russian government that if it continues on the path that is on, then not only us but the international community … will be forced to apply a cost to Russia’s violations of international law,” Obama told reporters. “There is another path available, and we hope that (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin is willing seize that path.”

The president has time before the Russian parliament certifies Sunday’s vote allowing the Crimea to join the Russian Federation.

After the referendum was passed by residents of the Crimea President Obama spoke with Putin stating the United States would not honor the results of the vote which was held “under threats of violence and intimidation.”

Obama continued to inform Putin a diplomatic resolution can be obtained only if Russian troops end their intrusion into the Crimea and Ukrainian territory.

“The United States has steadfastly supported the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine since it declared its independence in 1991,” the White House also said Sunday. “The international community will not recognize the results of a poll administered under threats of violence and intimidation from a Russian military intervention that violates international law.”

The unanswered question is what action will the president take along with our European allies to this referendum with regard to the broader issue of Ukrainian sovereignty?

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Foreign Relations committee, commented, “the United States has to be more firm with Putin because he has “started a game or Russian Roulette … and he will see how far he can go.”

As I have written before, no one is contemplating military action in Crimea, but the U.S. can use other elements of its national power against Russian intervention in the Crimea.

The president needs to follow up his threat with action and not sit on the fence by vacillating U.S. global leadership to others. Too often our allies are asking the president to act but for some reason only known to the president he has failed to utilize the various options available to him.

This is where the administration and his advisors need to start coordinating with our European allies, especially Germany.  The Germans have voiced open disagreement with the U.S. and with Secretary Kerry’s last minute brinksmanship with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov days before the Crimea referendum. 

It doesn’t seem like other European Union member countries that talk tough but are unwilling to move beyond rhetoric and impose tough sanctions on Russia.  Putin is counting on waffling by the west.   

We will see how the president proceeds in the coming days.

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