reporter: president obama and the national security team worked through the weekend on the ukraine situation, the president taking calls with the leaders of six countries, including russia. and now the administration is sending secretary of state john kerry to ukraine tonight to meet with leaders of the new government and pledge u.s. support, including financially. a senior administration official made it very clear that in their words russia has badly miscalculated. sending troops to crimea was a terrible choice that will only leave russia severely isolated if this continues. the u.s. has suspended upcoming trade talks with russia. kate? what s the discussion going about what could possibly happen here. let s bring in ohio congresswoman marcy captor and we have former u.s. ambassador to nato mr. nicholas burns.
crimea, it where they went. people will remember this place throughout history. you had famous things happening here as part of its separation, we were talking earlier, florence nightingale. that s right, long ties between this part of the world and seems a million miles away in europe. the charge of the light brigade back in the 1850s. this went against the wrong front there and it proved very costly. we look at the country. it s a sovereign, it s its own country but very divided how? here s the eastern part of the country on the russian side of the bored are, deep red. more than 75% are ethnic russian, speak russian. and many in this part of the country feel that historical tie to russia, they want to be closer to russia but it s not all black and white. crimea is deep red but 40% of the people there are not russian. you got divisions in every city,
move. it s a continuing act of aggression. it s a stunning, willful choice by president putin to invade another country. it s a 19th century act in the 21st century. reporter: russia s ambassador comes after ukraine s president was ousted last month in the wake of a bloody street protest after his rejection of a plan. now the administration has cancelled trade talks with russia and with several allies has backed out of meetings leading to the g-8 summit in sochi in june. all this has also drawn strong criticism from some lawmakers of president obama s drawing a line, telling putin to respect ukraine s sovereignty to which
has already happened this morning. reporter: it has. what a morning. all in this courtroom behind me, we heard oscar pistorius plead not guilty to that count of murder, as well as other charges that are related to mistakes or however you would describe it with guns. and all the while just remember the victim s family sitting on the same bench as pistorius s family. look at this. walking through throngs of international media on hand for what s being called south africa s trial for the country, a much different kind of attention as the man who won hearts as an olympic winner.
hoped for a different kind of world. i would have to say we did not this particular type of incursion had been thought about by our own government. we were concerned about it. can you read different state department memos on that point, but russia in some ways was isolated and felt vulnerable and part of the problem is the weakness the ukrainian state. again, my plea for the world community, particularly the osce and the united nations, the european union to do what is necessary to strengthen the existing government of ukraine. so former ambassador, let s end on this if i m russia and you are nato or pick whatever western influence or if it just has to be the united states who fronts it, what can be said to me that can get me to back off where i am right now and to just get me to deal with negotiations? putin s not going to back off. talk won t make him do that.