The New York Times reports that “as Western governments scrambled on Sunday to respond to the Russian military advance in Ukraine, Secretary of State John Kerry made plans to visit Kiev on Tuesday in a gesture of support for the new Ukrainian government, a senior American official said.”  

“The announcement came just hours after Mr. Kerry warned that Russia risked eviction from the Group of 8 industrialized nations and that assets of Russian businesses could be frozen if the Kremlin did not reverse its military occupation of Crimea in Ukraine.”  

“Mr. Kerry’s visit is part of the Obama administration strategy to increase the diplomatic and economic pressure on Russia.”