Let me reiterate that Ukraine is the victim in this situation, that is, Ukrainians who have borne the price of this, and that what is happening in Ukraine is illegitimate, wrong, alarming, and a terrible precedent for Europe, where we thought this period of European history had come to an end. I think, as I said, that's indisputable.
Coordination with our allies; sanctions really only work when they're strongly concerted with others. No one country, even a country far more powerful than we, can have an impact through sanctions if it acts alone. The big challenge is to concert with the United States and with the European Union a series of sanctions that increase in breadth and depth if events on the ground change in ways that we consider even more unacceptable than those that have happened.
I think, frankly, were there to be any Russian movement in eastern Ukraine or southern Ukraine, any referenda that were sponsored within a period of two weeks, again under the pretext of protecting Russians, would be such an alarming development, such a flashing red light that certainly NATO, the United States, the European Union would probably, unfortunately, find it easier to work together than they have up until now.
There are, however, differences, as you well know, inside the European Union, and of particular importance here is Germany. Germany is a large trading partner with Russia; it imports gas and it exports heavy machinery to Russia. There's a significant economic relationship there. Chancellor Merkel has been the one who has held back beyond the first round of sanctions. She has been in constant contact with President Putin. But thus far, frankly, her efforts to urge restraint on the Russian government, to urge a diplomatic solution have not been effective. So the critical government we will have to work with is the government of Angela Merkel.