White House says Russia to face 'increasing costs' for Ukraine crisis

The White House on Sunday rejected the referendum in Ukraine's Crimea region and said Russia will pay a price for its military intervention in the region through sanctions and increased instability.

"As the United States and our allies have made clear, military intervention and violation of international law will bring increasing costs for Russia - not only due to measures imposed by the United States and our allies but also as a direct result of Russia's own destabilizing actions," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.

"In this century, we are long past the days when the international community will stand quietly by while one country forcibly seizes the territory of another," he said.