the game for these allies. the question being what should and can be done about it? if escalation will lead to more action by the west, what exactly at this point is escalation? is it russia staying there? and by the statement token, what would be the deescalation that the west is looking for because russia shows no sign of leaving crimea. >> critical conversations and negotiations ahead. what else does the president have on his docket? i imagine he's trying to take advantage of every meeting, every encounter. >> reporter: yeah, and this is a big deal. it's become bigger in light of ukraine. but he's also going to stop in rome and meet with the pope, more on a personal level, something he's been wanting to do. then he'll stop in saudi arabia to meet with the king to discussion america's position in the gulf, as well as south africa, obviously another source of tension for that reason. >> michelle kosinski, we