President Viktor Yanukovych left Kiev after inking a deal Friday with opposition leaders to end the bloodshed, while the Obama administration was left explaining its role as the events quickly unfolded. [...]
The White House handed off the crisis to Vice President Joe Biden some time ago, with the last discussion released by the press office between President Obama and Yanukovych happening on March 27, 2012.
Biden called Yanukovych on Thursday to make "clear that the United States is prepared to sanction those officials responsible for the violence."
"The Vice President urged President Yanukovych to take immediate and tangible steps to work with the opposition on a path forward that addresses the legitimate aspirations of the Ukrainian people," the White House said. It was Biden's ninth call to Yanukovych since November. "Almost every time the vice president was calling, it was a moment of decisive choice for President Yanukovych," an administration official said today. [...]
A senior State Department official told reporters on background today that the U.S. was "very active diplomatically over the last two days." Deputy Secretary Bill Burns will visit Kiev early next week.
"More broadly, I think we've been able to have an impact at key moments throughout this. As I said, nine calls at key moments by the vice president to Yanukovych, but also, very strong intersections at key moments by Secretary Kerry, including, you'll remember, the night that Yanukovych moved his forces the first time against the Maidan, which was the night of Dec.10, and Secretary Kerry was the first to come out and call it a disgusting move," the official said.
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