we heard john kerry touching on a number of things. he was clearly touched and moved by getting down on the square where the deaths happened and the shootings during the height of the protest. he did visit, and apparently boosting the morale of the government, he also brought a message aside from the money and democratic talk, he brought a message that the united states remains very much in support of ukrain. >> and phil it is roughly now 7:00 in kiev. i know it is late. but has there been any reaction from the people out there concerning this support, the fact that secretary of state has now visited kiev and thrown the u.s. support behind their new and fledgling government? >> reporter: well, del, there hasn't really been support to the press conference yet. of course that just -- just happened, but when he did come out on to the square today, there was a clear atmosphere of appreciation. the people here in the center of kiev are clearly touched by his arrival. but i want to touch on one other thing, del that we touched on briefly on

john kerry arrived here from kiev last night. now these would be importantly the first head to head high-level meetings between the united states and russia sips the late -- since the latest phase of the ukrainian crisis erupted. we can't underestimate the importance of that. there's the chance for europe and the united states, the west broadly, if you like, to coordinate their positions, how much stick, how much carrot they are offering the russians in meetings with lawrence fab use, chuck hagel and so -- and william hague. and there's only so much diplomacy. the headlines of the day that come out of the french capital inevitably will be about ukraine. >> you mentioned at the top there that the foreign ministers from - several foreign ministers meeting, sergei lavrov, and the u.s. secretary of state john kerry. there are other meetings as well on the sidelines of this. you talked about the lebanese officials as well. there'll be time for events in syria to be addressed also, presumably. >> yes, they'll certainly be addressed, an

secretary of state john kerry. he is expected to announce $1 billion in u.s. aid for the new government of ukraine. including technical assistance and economic advice. for the latest events coming out of ukraine and the rest of today's headlines you are follow us on twitter. >>> benjamin netenyahu giving the keynote address at a gathering this morning of aipac. benjamin netenyahu saying he will do whatever it takes to defend israel. >> did you ever hear about iran sending a humanitarian delegation overseas? no? you missed that memo? [ laughter ] >> you know why? you know why you haven't heard anything about that? because the only thing that iran sends abroad are rockets, terrorists and missiles to murder, maim and menace the innocent. [ applause ] >> on monday netenyahu met with president obama pushing back against white house pressure to cut a deal with the palestinians. president obama warning the time for peace is running out. and later today the president submits his $4 trillion budget to congress. the president saying he wants to cut taxes to workers who

and that is the principle that john kerry is going to be speaking to during his visit. i'll be making additional calls today to some of our key foreign partners, and i suspect i'll be doing that all week and through the weekend. but as i indicated yesterday, the course of history is for people to want to be free to make their own decisions about their futures, and the international community, i think, is unified in believing that it is not the role of an outside force, where there has been no evidence of serious violence, where there has been no rationale under international law to intervene in people trying to determine their own >> yesterday and the day before, as i indicated sunday in my comments that we would prefer to find an appropriate diplomatic solution to this, and i think everybody is better served through that. but we also made it clear our determination to stand up for the integrity and sovereignty of this nation ar, our disagreemen, and we shar share with east, we, south. we made it clear the decision to go into crimea is not without cost. and now we needi

that's what john kerry emphasised. speaking from paris, john kerry called for a withdrawal of troops from the border. they have no intention of invading ukraine. ukrainians should be the ones to decide their own future. >> president obama and the united states believe firmly that diplomacy has a critical role to play in helping the people of ukraine achieve their goal in living in dignity and a stable, peaceful unified democracy. the united states and international community stands in support of ukraine's sovereignty and ukraine's territorial integrity. we'll continue to support the people of ukraine's right to choose their own future. it's not up to us to make any decision or any agreement regarding federalisation. we talked about it. it's up to ukrainians. >> any real progress in ukraine must include a pull-back of the very large russian force that is currently massing along the borders. tonight i raised with the foreign minister our strong concern about the forces. we blef the forces are -- believe the forces are cr

secretary kerry will be meeting with sergey lavrov later this week. and secretary kerry will be talking about that with house members, and they have a lot of questions for him regarding sanctions and any sort of aid to ukraine. now the senate passed a bill last week -- rather the house, excuse me -- passed a bill that would give $1 billion in loan guarantees to ukraine, the senate things are really held up. for one because of an issue with the imf. conservative members of the senate are pushing for one angle, whereas other members have other interests. so there are two competing issues here. two different competing interests are trying to get riders on to this bill. house members, conservative ones, don't want to see the imf dealt with here. so they are saying, look, secretary kerry, go back to your buddies in the senate, get them to pass a clean bill before they recess. afghanistan is also an interesting issue, as secretary kerry talks about what will be happening over the next weeks and month. syria, and what the u.s. has planned in terms of aid and

secretary of state, john kerry, here, and cameron and hague, and he went into the meetings with love rov to understand two things, are the russians prepared in any way at this point to step back from the brink in ukraine, and also to lay out what happens if they don't in terms of economic sanctions, travel bans, and freezing foreign accounts, and there are interesting reports now on the specificity, 120 to 130 individuals that are around president putin, close to the kremlin, maybe involved in some of the decision making on the crimea. and we understand two names have already served now. he's a very close adviser to president putin, and another name, alexei miller, chairman of gazprom, one of the biggest in the world. and that's the company that carries gas to europe across the pipelines in ukraine, so those two names on the possible list that we'll be hearing more about, if the russians don't back away from supporting this referendum in crimea on sunday. these meetings will be taking place and be probably breaking soon and then both leaders, serg day lavrov and secretary john kerry

secretary kerry saying this is not a zero sum game. not russia versus the united states trying to emphasize it is the ukrainian people and their future that is at stake here. nevertheless, clearly now, the pressure s is on the administration to respond. what are the options? sanctions, trying to isolate russia economically. point out to secretary kerry that the rul rubles is taking a beating in the actions from the last few hours, aid, visa bands, asset freezes, isolation trade and investment and perhaps the most high profile if not the most impact. in a practical sense, actually kicking russia out of the g8. for years it was known as the g7 after the cold war they brought russia in and talking about reversing it now and the going to this summer's g8 annual conference which, as it turn out is hosted by russia, in of all places sochi. >> but is isolating russia enough? if obama decides to collect the costs he threatened to friday, will the american people stand behind him 123-4679 the american people we stand behind him there is no ques

, any secretary that succeeds john kerry is going to be actively involved like kerry. >> what about his involvement has been different? >> he surprised everyone, he surprised the pun did pundits ae leaders in the middle east. the chances of making progress was so dim and slim, that shifting u.s. foreign policy to the far east and everyone has been muttering and mumbling that out of sleep, that he's not going to invest efforts, energy, time and u.s.-american capital, i'm sorry u.s. political capital in the middle east yet he did. and he did it in a very forceful very voa vocal way. his involvement is very interesting, in that it is -- he is trying to bridge gaps that have been, by both sides, admissions, almost unbridgeable. which is why i'm saying if he fails, i mean it's our failure in the end, it's not his. but if his mission fails i doubt that a future secretary is going to invest that much time and energy. >> and is ukraine a distraction? and does it really impact these talks? >> it impacts in terms of attention, of world attention, it impacts in terms of john kerry having to fly to

mary agnes kerry is a reporter with kaiser health news. appreciate your time. >> thank you. >> efforts to find the missing malaysia airliner, that disappeared three weeks ago, a u.s. navy ship with a black box detector, the fastest way to find out what happened, despite repeated failures. australia's prime minister says the intensity of the search is increasing. >>> turkey, decisive victory, the country stands deeply divided. aal jazeera's omar alsala reports. >> people are getting on with their lives but are thinking about the polarized elections and their result. >> translator: the government thinks they've been acquitted from all the tape that came out but i don't believe that. >> the people have shown they don't beef in the smear campaign and have shown they stand by their government. >> prime minister recep tayip erdogan says the results prove his critics wrong. some analysts say erdogan has organize accused them of orchestrating smear campaigns against his government. >> now the government will go after gulanists within the framework

john kerry meeting with sergei lavrov in london. lavrov saying putin won't make any decisions before sunday's vote in crimea. violence breaking out in eastern ukraine, one person is dead and 20 others injured. all of this ahead of the referendum in crimea. >>> and u.s. ships are heading to the indian ocean to search for the malaysian flight. a battle over animal rights could end at a new york city hall and a mainstay. the major vowing to make those horse-dra horse-drawn carriages history. >> officer! we just got married. >> reporter: it's a an iconic new york scene played out again and again. >> very corny. >> nope. >> reporter: manhattan's horse-drawn carriages attract tourists by the thousand each year. this man has driven his fair share of them. >> he is responsible for putting food on the table for my kids, and responsible for feeding the other horse i have as well. so we all earn our keep. >> reporter: there are 68 licensed carriages in new york city and more than 160 active drivers, but because they are individually owned driv

secretary of state john kerry will go to kiev on tuesday. the announcement comes as russian troops surrounded a ukrainian base. the ukrainian prime minister called it a declaration of war and is calling up army reservists. the head of ukraine's army has been fired for treesons. he swore allegiance to the russian backed leader of crimea. >> demonstrators clashed in st. petersburg over vladimir putin's request to use force. 40 were arrested. >> thailand's scaled-down protests continue. hundreds marched and camped in bangkok, vowing to topple yingluck shinawatra's government. >> egypt's president swore in a new government. with 20 ministers from the old government, including field marshal abdul fatah al-sisi who is expected to run for president. >> in a couple of hours fans and stars will arrive at the dowl by theatre for the biggest night. ellen degeneres is hosting, and the favourites are "american hustler," "gravity," and "12 years a slave." >> i'm jonathan betz, back in an hour with more news, "america tonight" weekend starts now. for updat

in addition to sergei lavrov and john kerry, we heard to the e.u.'s katherine ashton, will join sergei lavrov and john kerry in paris. >> there are still protests on the ground, i see, behind you there in kiev. are the people on the square listening or are they concerned about the diplomatic efforts in. >> they are concerned for a variety of reasons. there's a sense here that they may have been taken over by bigger issues, bigger geopolitical issues, and their lives may be in the hands of moscow and washington d.c. we heard when secretary of state john kerry was here yesterday, he went on to the street, he met with people, and they gave him the impression "don't forget, it's about us, we have to live with the consequences, and when you go to paris, take that message with you." >> they gave me a deep personal sense of how closely linked the people of ukraine are to not just americans, but people all across the world who today are asking for their right, for the privilege to live defining their own nation, defining their future. >> now, stephanie, they

for more news of that meeting in paris between kerry and lavrov. what more do we know about these talks? >> well, it came about after the conversation excellencely between vladimir putin and barack obama on friday. they agreed that their foreign ministers should meet and there should be more discussions. secretary kerry followed that up with a call. he landed in ireland to refuel. at that point he decided it was probably better that he headed to paris. one, because the middle east peace talks are in trouble, and he thought he could get there much more quickly. two, sergei lavrov was willing to clear his schedule and did to paris, and it's agreed that that meet willing take place on sunday. clearly the discussions between the presidents putin and obama created this window for the two of them to start diplomatic measures and try to de-escalate the tension in the area. >> as you mention the word deescalation, is there any mention of what sort of deal might look like? >> vladimir putin saying he wants to stop extremists running riots in ukraine. presid

secretary kerry said that the u.s. will have no choice but to impose economic sanctions on russia if it doesn't change its course in ukraine. russia is pushing back, and the prime minister said that the country had no choice but to retaliate if sanctions are put in place. >>> president putin is defending the actions in ukraine, calling it a humanitarian mission to protect compatriots who he says are living in terror. a kentucky governor will seek outside help on help to repeal same-sex marriage. he said that he will repeal using outside council. and doctors in hospitals are overprescribing antibiotics, that's according to the centers for disease control. 20,000 people die every year from prescription drug complications and misuse of antibiotics, and it breeds super bugs that are resistent to the medicine. those are the headlines, and "america tonight" with joie chen is up next. i'll see you here tomorrow, and you can get the latest news on aljazeera.com. >> on "america tonight," face-off. ratcheting up the pressure as

and that is the principle that john kerry is going to be speaking to during his visit. i'll be making additional calls today to some of our key foreign partners, and i suspect i'll be doing that all week and through the weekend. but as i indicated yesterday, the course of history is for people to want to be free to make their own decisions about their futures, and the international community, i think, is unified in believing that it is not the role of an outside force, where there has been no evidence of serious violence, where there has been no rationale under international law to intervene in people trying to determine their own destiny. is we stand on the side of history that i think more and more people around the world deeply believe in. the principle that a sovereign people and independent people are able to make the decisions about their own lives. mr. putin can throw a lot of words out this, but the facts on the ground indicate that right now, he's not abiding by that principle. there's still the opportunity for russia to do so, working with the international co

between kerry and lavrov. kerry was flying back to the u.s. after a meeting in the middle east but turned around after the phone call with lavr lavrov. it comes after the build up of tens of thousands of troops on ukraine's eastern border. it's worrying that russian troops could move into ukraine proper. sergei lavrov says putin has no intention of what would be considered invading. kerry said that there should be a new constitution for the country, one which creates a federal nation which gives more autonomy for the regions notably. those regions are dominated by russian speakers. washington for its part has according to officials in the u.s. come up with its own plan. he's saying there needs to be international monitors. they also want to see movements on direct talks between kiev, the inter erupt government there and between moscow. that's something that does not look like its happening for a long time now, particularly not since russian forces effectively annexed crimea peninsula. after a referendum, a ver

a lip dough mattic showdown in paris, secretary of state john kerry and his russian counterpart try to put the crisis in ukraine to rest. >> hundreds of volunteers and crew members leading the search in the washington mudslides. >> potential for stronger seismic activity on the west coast after earthquakes shake southern california. >> secretary of state john kerry is in paris where he'll soon meet with his russian counterpart sergey lavrov. this is the latest attempt to ease tensions over the annexation as of crimea. we have that story from paris. >> this meeting between john kerry and sergey lavrov due to happen at the residence of russia's ambassador to front after a direct phone call between kerry and lavrov saturday. john kerry was flying back from the middle east to the u.s., but turned around after speaking to sergey lavrov. it's well known that the u.s. has concerns about what it believes it the bit up of tens of thousands of russian troops on ukraine said eatern border. it's very worried that in fact russian troops could look to move into ukraine proper. sergey lavrov has been

he'ljohn kerry will meet with te new government today. phil ittner has been covering the crisis from kiev. vladimir putin had an awful lot to say today. >> he certainly did, del, this is the first public appearance since this entire crisis began, in an hour long press conference, he outlined his position. he took a swipe at western powers, saying that for them, this is some sort of laboratory experiment in democracy, but for russia a fraternal partner where they have centuries of experience. he also said that he had met to viktor yanukovych but accepted that yanukovych has no political future here, but saying that the people who are in power currently, this government, seized power by illegitimate means and if they really wanted to be in power should have done it through more constitutional methods. >> this is a constitutional revolt and military seizure of power. the only legal president is yanukovych. the only way president can be changed, his death, impeachment or legislation. >> now, he also said that while the russians do not want to

john kerry said u.s. deems their actions illegal and forces along the border unacceptable. >> any new progress in ukraine must include a pull-back of the large russian force that is massing along ukraine's borders. tonight i raised with the foreign minister our strong concern about the forces. we kiev the forces are creating a climate of fear and intimidation in ukraine. >> john kerry says ukrainians have to decide on the road ahead but said the u.s. will create a climate for negotiations. >> in washington state more than 600 people joined a recovery effort. sunday church services honoured victims of the deadly mud slide. volunteers are focussed on finding items from the debris. drier weather will help crews. >> four objects have been found in a search for malaysia airlines flight mh370. the objects retrieved yesterday from the southern indian ocean surgeoned o-- turned out not to be connected from the plane. those are the headlines. "real money" starts now on al jazeera america. >> russia's problem is yo

secretary kerry in paris. he was scheduled to be in paris for meetings prior to all of this, but obviously it has taken on a huge importance as the secretarsecretary kerry trying e a cohesive front when it comes to sanctions. the notion of politics stopping at the water's edge is pretty much out of the window. mitch mcconnell, john boehner, john mccain taking shots at the president yet saying they're going to stand behind the president on sanction bills that come to the floor, sanctions against russia as well as a $1 billion aid package that will be taken up late this week most likely next week by congress. so a lot of moving parts here, but i got to tell you everything on hold with all high eyes on ukraine. >> and it under scores the gravity of the situation with washington calling for the rhetoric to be toned down. but it's the portrayal of the feeling that politics stop at the water's edge, and in 20 seconds will that change? >> reporter: there is no question that the administration is focused on trying to

we may have answers on tuesday when john kerry visits. timothy fry is with columbia university, and lincoln mitchell is the author of the book "the colour revolutions." let me ask you: are we facing another cold war here? >> i don't think we are facing a cold war. there's a number of complex issues. there's a rush to try to think of short-term solutions that will solve the problem. these are difficult issues that will take a long time to resolve. i don't think we are reaching the level of a cold war. >> what do we do moving forward here? >> a lot of options presented - these are probably necessary and almost certainly not sufficient. one of the truths here is we have fewer options than we would like. it became clear in 2008. it isn't lost on russia and vladimir putin. in 2008 the incursion - the precedent was then, and the west was powerless to stop it. >> let's talk about the russian georgian war. back then the george w. bush administration considered a military response. the u.s. sent humanitarian supplies. he upped his naval presence i

kerry's trip coming as russia shows no signs of backing off from crimea. they received a deadline to lay down arms or face a full-scale assault. russia de nice making that call. they say they were invited by president viktor yanukovych. nick schifrin is in the crimean peninsula with the latest. >> this is a ukrainian base on ukrainian land. those are not ukrainian soldiers or that's not a ukrainian flag. the welcoming committee doesn't pledge allegiance to ukraine. >>. translation: we are here to support the russian peacekeepers. they are the only means to stop the violence in ukraine. >> in this area the russian occupation is growing and the resistance seems non-existent. the russian soldiers occupied the base without firing a shot. visitors brought sandwiches and a teapot. soldiers relax and ate in crudely fortified positions. they brought 50 calibre machine-gun, and sniper weapons that could be used against helicopters. through the fence, as we watched them, they watched us. these troops don't seem to be going anywhere, any time soon. >> can i ask you a

earlier today as it happens kerry was on capitol hill. he was testifying, and he talked about his meeting up coming in two days with lavrov. >> president obama has asked me to leave tomorrow evening and fly to london to meet with russia's foreign minister lavrov on friday, and i will do that. we've had previous conversation, as you know, we spoke earlier this week. the president has talked several times with president putin. i will make clear again as i have throughout this crisis that while we respect obviously that russia has deep historical, cultural, and other kinds of interests with respect to ukraine and particularly crimea, nothing justifies a military inteintervention that the worlds witnessed. >> secretary kerry, president obama, not so subtle warnings and reminders that it may not stop in crimea, a great deal of concern that this russian action could spread to eastern ukraine dominated by russian speakers. >> mike viqueira for us at the white house. thank you very much. >>> malaysia flight 370 still missing and authorities say t

secretary of state kerry saying they hope they will take a different decision. but we have already heard in a separate news conference with sergei lavrov that they continue to respect the will of the people of crimea and will recognize that referendum to join russia. the referendum will take place, and then the eu and united states will be in the position of waiting to see what russia will do. will they recognize the joining of crimea to russia, and then you will have these threats that have been put forward by the european union and united states to impose economic sanctions in terms of freezing bank accounts and travel bans on officials del. >> dana thank you very much. jennifer glasse is in the region that will decide on sunday to beak away from ukraine. you heard the secretary of state. your reaction. >> del, no matter what secretary kerry says here, the officials have made it very clear, they plan to have this referendum on sunday. they have the new crimea prime minister appointed just a few weeks ago, talking about what is going to happen after the referen

secretary of state john kerry and russian counterpart sergei lavrov have been meeting. dana lewis is in london, and dana the meeting just breaking up, but it appears if you could sum it up in two words it would be dug in. >> it couldn't be a success that's for sure. the john kerry spent five hours talking to sergei lavrov and said there was a red line. the russians must not agree with the vote that is going to take place this weekend for that territory to join russia. otherwise russia will face economic sanctions, travel freezes, and it appears that that is where we are headed after all of these meetings. serg sergei lavrov held a press conference and he said we had constructive talks, but we do not have a common vision of the problem. let's listen. >> translator: as to the practical matter that should be taken -- or could be taken by foreign partners of ukraine, we do not have common vision of the situation. the differences are there, but the dialogue was definitely constructive. >> and here -- here is where they do not have a common vision point by point. he said that

says it believes and john kerry the u.s. secretary of state beliefs had damascus wanted it could have accelerated the process and met the deadline but thinks it's deliberate and say it's due to circumstances. they acknowledge the risk and acknowledge it's a very hard mission and the challenges on the ground are, enormous and getting opposition and there has been acceleration in the efforts to try to deliver as much as toxic weapons outside and to the u.n. group and to destroy whatever is left in the country, much more than what we have seen before. >> stephanie: reporting from beirut and thank you. presidential elections in egypt are set for the end of may and it will happen on may 26 and 27 and that is 10 months after president mohamed morsi was removed from power and days ago abdel-fattah el-sissi resigned from the army and said he will run for president. a university student was killed on sunday after violence broke out between protesters and police in cairo and supporting students arrested or suspended for backing former

secretary kerry working the phones as well. but in terms of the response still very fluid here from washington. >> and mike what are the options that the u.s. has on the table as you're well aware, senator john mccain already criticizing anything at that time u.s. has or has not done. what options does the u.s. have when it comes to ukraine. >> this is a carryover what was said from yesterday as well. nobody is talking seriously about a military option. there are a number of problems with that, i think some of personnel relatively obvious. -- the relatively obviously. all across the political spectrum ear in washington -- here in washington, behind president obama whatever he chooses to do. they're talking about freezing assets, economic sanctions, banning visas. a lot of it is hoped fay will have an impact not only as a practical matter on the russian economy but on the soft power we have been talking about. its reputation worldwide that it has worked hard to cultivate over the past several years. >> mike viqueria, thank you v

there is a possible meeting with secretary kerry this week. the call between kerry and lavrov came after president putin called president obama on fifriday night. the two men laid out their position. president putin talking about rampant extremism both here in kiev and the region and how that should not be allowed to go forward. that is concerning to the interim government here. those are going to be seen as threatening words to the interim government here. the pressure on the presidential elections may 25th especially with massive russian troops along the border. they are hopeful for a diplomatic resolution, but with crimea going on, secretary kerry and foreign minister lavrov met several times and that made no difference there. president putin expressed concern of a de facto blockade on ukraine's southwestern border. there are already russian troops there, a breakaway enclave of moldova. so that is another point of possible tension there. really, really unclear what these diplomatic efforts mean and what solutions they may have going forward

that was the plan, the implication that john kerry said they don't simply have their sites on krimia. and commended them for not accepting the provocations as we just saw. and not enganging with russian forces and military action. here is more of what john kerry had to say. >> we condemn the act of aggression, and we have throughout this moment evidence of a great transformation taking place, and in that transformation, we will stand with the people of ukraine. >> now, for his part, vladimir putin said that russian troops he denied. the troops were even in the krimea. that's hard to believe. he spoke for the first time since the outset of this crisis. >> who is arguing with that. >> now negotiations continue with european allies and the united states over a series of sanctions no word on that. but president obama and john kerry both talking about a $1 billion aid package, administers that they say is forth coming to try to get ukraine back on it's feet economically. >> and then, mike, as though he didn't have enough to consider here, russia conduct admissionle test earlier today. >> y

when secretary of state, john kerry, wraps up his meeting with sergei lavrov, we'll bring you that comment live. it is the inside story. ♪ . >> hello, i'm ray swarez, the man who used to be jorge mario is cardinal arch bishop has shown he is a master of flipping the script. it started from the moment the votes that made him the head of the worldwide catholic church were counted an enormous crowd gathering in st. peters square, the cheering throng was waiting for the new pope to pray for them. in his first request was that they pray for him. the first pope from the global south has brought an abrupt departure in style from his predecessor, said striking and surprising things blown like a strong breeze of his tiny state. and maybe hasn't changed all that much. yet. an old church, a new pope, the what we don't know yet what could be an era of change in the word's largest group on this edition of inside story. we will start this look forward with a look back at a momentous year. who am i to just, five small worlds and a seemingly simple answer to a tough question, but this phrase among many

secretary of state john kerry traveling in europe. yesterday he met in paris with his russian counterpart. no progress there on the ukrainian situation. today they are in rome, lavrov and kerry 40 minutes meeting, no progress to announce. the state department releasing a statement saying kerry made clear of russians talking directly to ukrainians. secretary kerry also pressed the importance to lavrov of allowing international monitors i crimea. this is something president obama and secretary kerry have been talking about over and over again. if polonium is so -- vladimir putin is so concerned, then let in these monitors. and visas adding on to earlier sanction, also the president signing an executive order that will allow u.s. government to sanction russian and ukrainian officials responsible for the crisis. jack lew is the secretary of the treasury, he testified before congress today. >> as the president announced this morning, he signed an executive order to authorize sanctions on individuals and entities that threaten the peace, se

kerry is in paris this hour, trying to diffuse the situation in ukraine. his counterpart claiming there are no russian troops on the ground in the peninsula. >> translator: regarding the self-defense forces, we do not have any power over them. but the russian military forces in the black sea fleet are placed at the right spots, and some special alert measures have been adopted to control the black sea fleet because as our president said we are not going to allow any blood to be spilled. >>> phil ittner is live right now. phil how do you hold a dialogue when both sides didn't decide on whether what we're seeing in crimea constitutes troops? >> sergei lavrov may say that, but as far as the west is concerned, those are russian troops they are trying to form late a response, and it seems as though it is going to be in economic term. here is what the president had to say today. >> today the european commission has identified a package to support ukraine. this is our contribution to tomorrow's meetings of [ inaudible ] government. the package combined could brin

. >> the picture of a black west and that is the principle that john kerry is going to be speaking to during his visit. i'll be making additional calls today to some of our key foreign partners, and i suspect i'll be doing that all week and through the weekend. but as i indicated yesterday, the course of history is for people to want to be free to make their own decisions about their futures, and the international community, i think, is unified in believing that it is not the role of an outside force, where there has been no evidence of serious violence, where there has been no rationale under international law to intervene in people trying to determine their own destiny. is we stand on the side of history that i think more and more people around the world deeply believe in. the principle that a sovereign people and independent people are able to make the decisions about their own lives. mr. putin can throw a lot of words out this, but the facts on the ground indicate that right now, he's not abiding by that principle. there's still the opportunity for russia to do so, working with th

kerry met with brittish prime minister before talks with sergei fedorov. >> reporter: kerry is in the meetings on downing street this morning and also soon to arrive here at the u.s. ambassador's residence in london to meet his russian counterpart, sergei fedorov and really to do dwo things, one is to get a measure are the russians willing to step back from ukraine, is there any indication that president putin is about to blink and also to deliver the message very clearly to sergei fedorov and to the kremlin that if russia does not respect the territory of ukraine they will face very serious sanctions and we will probably hear some proposals over the table between kerry and sergei fedorov where americans are trying to get the russians to understand they are willing to take into account some concerns expressed by president putin. one of those proposals is reported in some european press this morning is that perhaps there could be some protection force or ethnic russians in crimea who are worried about what is happening eternally in ukraine but again he will warn sergei fedorov today th

john kerry said he know it is going to go ahead. we regret that, we consider its results illegal, but it depends on what president putin does with the vote. if he takes the yes vote and rubber stamps it into moscow, john kerry said they would consider that a back door annexation. >> simon thank you. speaking to us from london. >>> and as simon was saying, russia faces sanctions if the referendum does go ahead. already the united states has issued travel bans and frozen the assets of people and companies deemed to have acted to undermine ukrainian democracy. the european union is expected to do the same on monday, especially now that angela merkel has taken a tougher stance. >> translator: if russia continues on its actions of the past week, we would see it as a threat and it would not only change the eu's relationship with russia and cause massive damage to russia economically and politically. >>> traditionally russia has an ally in china. it's china as policy to oppose foreign interference in a country's affairs. china appears unea

this is why kerry has made this phone call. they see this whole dispute being set around the table as a further sanctions but they know it will impact the wider global economy. so they're reluctant to do that. it's really trying about to push forward and get some diplomatic solution that everyone can live with. no one will get exactly what they want. barack obama believes that diplomacy is the way ahead. he has ruled out military action in ukraine and would not want to escalate tension there any further. >> we thank you both. staying with this story, political intrigue outside of the country and inside it, too, where opposition leader has decided not to contest the presidential election in may. >> some pool are saying he's running second string to another candidate, but he also had a lot of momentum and popularity during the up rising. >> he did and he was a frontrunner for the presidency. shedding more light on the decision in the last hour or so saying what is needed is unity, and what they're trying to avoid is a run-off on

secretary of state john kerry gets ready to meet his russian counterpart. >>> it's election day. turkey holds it's first volt since anti- government protests last year. >>> the number of victims in that devastating washington mudslide has now grown to 18. the number of missing has dropped substantially from 90 down to 30. al jazeera tanya moseley joins us outside of derington, washington. tonya, why has the number dropped so significantly? >> well, you can imagine this time last week, after the mud slide, it was extremely chaotic in this area. authorities were asking for folks to call in the names of people they believed were missing. fr from that mudslide. a week later, they have been able to con sol date and cross-reference. there were duplicate names and people who weren't missing in the mudslide. searchers are heading out again in the search for victims. a week after the mudslide, heavy rain soaks the crushed trees, mud and debris. >> that's all that's left of the lives lived here. earlier at 10:37 a.m., a moment of silence. the moment one week ago when oso, washingto

and by coming out strongly kerry makes his point. it's a good point. but you don't want to make points here. you want to make peace. and i'm afraid that the u.s. just doesn't have the influence to do that. >> but he also somewhat agrees with you. he says that the organization of american states as well as allies and neighbors need to demand accountability from the maduro government. and you were in chile recently where the ministers from theunasur group agreed to send are delegates, didn't even mention the ongoing situation in credit credit venezuela. is it reasonable that they will accomplish something? >> no, i don't think that -- that was a very weak performance by the foreign minister of latin america, south america really. they didn't put any teeth in what they were going to do. they didn't come with an unbiased screw. clearly there is a level had of support for the -- level of support for maduro government more than it deserves. brazil is the big country that seeks a global role and if it wants to be an actor on a large stage it really has to sor

on tuesday secretary of state john kerry visited independence square and pledged a billion loan to the interim government. john kerry condemned russia intervention saying: >> in a fundraiser tuesday night president obama said: >> mike viqueira has the latest from washington. >> for a second straight bay mmr mr -- day mr obama interrupted a scheduled event. amid on outcry mr obama held out that putin was having second thoughts. >> there have been some thoughts that vladimir putin is pausing for a moment and reflecting on what's happened. >> hours after he spoke a not so subtle reminder of russian force. a test launch by icm. speaking in public for the first time since the crisis began, putin called the outruling of viktor yanukovych a coup. he denied russian troops were in crimea. >> look at the post-soviet territory, there's a lot of uniforms similar to the yup forms. go to a shop, and you can by any uniform there. >> visiting the ukraine, a show of solidarity. walking down a kiev street, honouring those killed by government snipers. john kerry said russia's concerns carry a hidden age

secretary of state john kerry has arrived in the ukraine capitol. he laid a flower loo-- floral wreath. we will be live from washington, d.c. in just a moment. but first tim, kerry has arrived in kiev and paid tribute to those who died in kiev. no doubt this is to show washington's support of a new government in kiev? all right. we seem to be having some technical problems right there now. we will try to get back to tim in moscow, and try to get the latest from john kerry's visit to kiev. let's go to washington, d.c. kerry comes bearing a gift of a $1 billion loan. any strings attached ? >> there are also strings attached. but this is a billion dollars loan guarantee contingent on congressional approval. there is a certain amount of support for such a measure in congress. but the president needs to pass that through congress. it is meant to cushion the fuel subsidies in ukraine. as far as their strings are attached to any money given to ukraine. they will ask for the end of the social safety net for those who are the poorest. and u.s. officials also

and john kerry is here as well. there'll be meetings with sergei lavrov, flying in from madrid, an attempt to bridge the vast perception with the russians, and also the west needs to be speaking from the same sheet, if you like, and that will be the focus of the diplomacy in paris. >> this meeting was ostensibly called to deal with the issue of syria, an issue where russia was at loggerheads with the u.s. and the west. that's pretty much been overshadowed by ukraine, hasn't it? >> it has been, yes. i'm outside the alizi palace and in the next hour or so the meeting will go ahead. specifically it's to do with helping the lebanese government cope with the spill-over effects of the crisis. president suleman is here and there's talk about the financial assistance for the 1 million refugees and lebanon and the saudis are talking about a $3 billion offer to assist and equip the lebanese government. mainly it should be said with french weaponry. all that will go ahead. there's only so much diplomacy that can happen on one

secretary of state john kerry altering definitely plans to speak with russian foreign minister. jennifer, for weeks russia has been building, putting boots on the ground near the ukrainian border, but foreign minister lavrov said that russia does not have plans to invade. has he offered explanation for why the troops are there in the first place? >> reporter: initially they said they were on exercises. but the united states intelligence said there it doesn't look like there are any exercises going on. it doesn't look like a normal spring exercises. there ropes digging in, and there are tens of thousands of them, and that's a big concern for the interim government here in kiev who doesn't know what intentions of russia are. crimea, a big blow to ukraine, and certainly lavrov claiming that russia said that it would not cross ukraine's border but saying in the same interview that russia will protect the interests of the ethnic russians who live in ukraine's east. no real idea of what he means by that. there has been a lot of pressure put on the government here. we've seen a number

and you heard secretary kerry talk about the economic action is being contemplated. i have to tell you that the question was put before kerry many times this morning, about what i military option that does not seem to be in the cards right now. but among some of the other actions that are being contemplated by the united states and its allies, visa bans, asset freezes isolate on trades and i canning russia out of the g8 and of course there are already talk of a boycott the summer meetings of the g8 were set to take place in sochi russia, that will not be happening apparently. >> mike viqueira joining us live thanks for being with us this afternoon. >>> let's take a quick look at the balance of forces between russia and ukraine, the russian army has 285,000 soldiers, that's more than four times as many as ukraine has which only has 64,000 soldiers. russia also has twice as many tanks, 2,550 to be exact and that's compared to 1,110 for ukraine. russia's air force has 1,389 combat capable aircraft and compared to ukraine's 221. that gives russia five times as many. and

secretary of state john kerry and his russian counterpart scheduled to talk tomorrow. it's been five days since russian-backed forces seized crimea. russia and ukraine is not talking but secretary of state john kerry is optimistic. european u.n. officials consider sanctions in moscow. the situation is more chaotic by the day. a united nations envoy visiting crimea was held against his will and forced to leave the country. we begin our coverage. on the ground in crimea, nick schifrin is in the regional capital and he joins us live. >> good evening. in this city law and order is not being handled by the police, but by pro-russian activists and militia members, and they are acting with impunity. >> reporter: for nearly an hour inside the cafe they barricaded u.n. envoy robert serry. [ chants ] >> demonstrators who support the invasion came to support robert serry's detention and stop us filming. whether at the cafe or the airport, they cal all access. robert serry was driven against his will and walked to a flight. the same activist blocked the door and ran robert serry o

secretary kerry said they are not threats. but they are direct reaction to what the white house does. everyone is in a bit of a bind of how to react. >> that tough talk may be faced with something that actually happens next week. you know, we've seen polling indicating that americans for the first time seeing russia as a real threat. this administration is really been criticized particularly by republicans and many in congress where you spend most of your time, drawing red lines or making threats that have no follow through. do you think the administration is struggling with a way to sort of sound tough and be able to follow through? >> well, it is a tough situation because they're very specific in what exactly they'll do if, then they have to go forward in those threats because it doesn't look like president putin is cowering at all. he's not nervous about repercussions either to his reputation or what might have to russia's economy in the short term. congress has tried to help out by getting an aid built to ukraine. but. >>

on friday secretary of state john kerry will meet with russian foreign minister lavrov. senator feinstein there has been so much concentration on president obama's alleged weakness and vladimir putin's alleged strength. but with all of this concentration on whether putin is winning in crimea, are we losing sight of the fact that we just lost ukraine. that this action might be pushing ukraine into the arms of the west? >> well, i think that's an excellent point. and first of all i want to say that this is a very difficult crisis. i think that president obama and secretary kerry have handled this extremely well, making it clear that they're prepared to apply sanctions, already applying sanctions unilaterally while working with the european who is have been reluctant to take that action with the statement we got from the g-7. i think the president has made it clear and this is a no-kidding situation. yes, the calculation for president putin is hard to imagine. if the presidential election and ukraine is now scheduled from may 25th, if crimea is not part of ukraine, and the

. >> >> seeking a diplomatic solution - secretary of state john kerry is set to meet with his russian counterpart as crimeans prepare to vote on a highly debated referendum. expanding the search. crews looking at the indian ocean as they work to find out the mystery surrounding the disappearance of malaysia airlines flight 370. >> tougher gun laws in the wake of the sandy hook shooting. one wants to hit assault rifle makers in their wallets. >> why some residents say a cult is moving into their town, and family members say their loved ones were prey. >> hi there. good to have with you us on al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton. >> the u.s. tonight is hoping for a diplomatic solution with russia over crimea. on thursday secretary of state john kerry warned of consequences if a resolution is not brokered before sunday's ses session vote. >> if there's no sign of a capacity to move forward and solve the issue, there'll be a series of steps op fond and year with respect to the options available to us. >> kerry is expected to meet with russia's foreign minister in london on friday. >> we