01/04/2014 19:14
White House website petition demands US accept Crimea referendum
A petition to US authorities was published on the White House's website Tuesday, demanding they acknowledge as legal the expression of the will of the Crimean people, who voted for reunification with Russia last month, RIA Novosti reported.
"Citizens of Crimea made their choice on March 16, having voted for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea becoming a part of the Russian Federation. Such was the choice of people, not the politics. We demand from Obama administration to immediately accept this decision," the petition reads.
Authors of the petition likewise demanded a condemnation of February's illegal armed coup in Ukraine, and called for an effort to bring the leaders of the coup to trial for crimes against humanity.
According to the White House's guidelines, officials must respond to the petition if it gathers at least 100,000 signatures by April 21. So far more than 600 people have signed the petition.
Another petition posted on the website suggests helping Ukraine by creating an economic program similar to the Marshall plan - the economic recovery program that offered aid to European countries after World War II.