In this March 10, 2014, photo, White House press secretary Jay Carney answers questions during his daily news briefing at the White House as he spoke about the situation in Ukraine. In a diplomatic dig at Russia, President Barack Obama is hosting the new Ukrainian prime minister at the White House on March 12, a high-profile gesture aimed at cementing the West’s allegiance to Ukraine’s fledgling government. The meeting between Obama and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk comes as a pro-Russian area of Ukraine readies for a referendum Sunday to determine its future. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)