--- description: A White House adviser said the vote in Crimea to break off from Ukraine defied international law title: White House Will Ignore Crimea Referendum Results image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt858f7c2d0e8ac421/698685b035ba6fbdeac00fea/479044361-jpg.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Foreign Policy](/tag/foreign-policy/) ## Foreign Policy Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # White House Will Ignore Crimea Referendum Results by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 16, 2014 8:43 PM CUT  SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE - MARCH 16: xxxxx inside a polling station in Simferopol on March 16, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimeans go to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing to push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favour Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE - MARCH 16: xxxxx inside a polling station in Simferopol on March 16, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. Crimeans go to the polls today in a vote that which will decide whether the peninsular will break away from mainland Ukraine. The referendum, which has been dismissed as illegal by the West, follows the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western and nationalist protesters. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, world leaders are continuing to push for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation though many believe that there is every likelihood that thy vote will favour Crimea being incorporated into Russia. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)Dan Kitwood—Getty Images by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 16, 2014 8:43 PM CUT Dan Pfeiffer, a White House senior advisor, said on NBC’s _Meet the Press_ that Russia was isolating itself from the international community by pushing forward with the referendum in Crimea to split from Ukraine. On CNN, Sen. John McCain called for a “fundamental reassessment” of the U.S. relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A Senate committee has already passed a bill that places harsh economic sanctions on Russia and sends financial aid to Ukraine. That bill was pushed by President Barack Obama and the White House. It will have to win approval on the Senate floor and in the House before going in to effect. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/26644/white-house-will-ignore-crimea-referendum-results/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/26644/white-house-will-ignore-crimea-referendum-results/"},"headline":"White House Will Ignore Crimea Referendum Results","datePublished":"2014-03-16T20:43:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:47:44.569Z","description":"The Obama administration has called a vote to split from Ukraine illegitimate","url":"https://time.com/26644/white-house-will-ignore-crimea-referendum-results/","keywords":["Foreign Policy","Ukraine","russia","White House","Vladimir Putin","John McCain"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt858f7c2d0e8ac421/698685b035ba6fbdeac00fea/479044361-jpg.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Video","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-video/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt858f7c2d0e8ac421/698685b035ba6fbdeac00fea/479044361-jpg.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum","caption":"Crimea Goes To The Polls In Crucial Referendum","creditText":"Dan Kitwood—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/foreign-policy/","name":"Foreign Policy"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/26644/white-house-will-ignore-crimea-referendum-results/","name":"White House Will Ignore Crimea Referendum Results"}}]}] ```