Ukraine's interim Prime Minister was headed to Washington on Wednesday to meet with President Barack Obama as pro-Russian forces tightened their grip in Crimea ahead of a referendum denounced by the West, according to the Associated Press.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk will meet with United States government officials before heading to New York on Thursday to address the United Nations Security Council, the AP reported.
The Ukrainian delegation will also meet with Congress, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund while in Washington, in an indication of international support for Ukraine's fledgling government, according to the AP.
His visit comes as breakneck preparations are under way for a Sunday referendum in Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula, which are to be held in secret, and tensions persist around Simferopol, Crimea's capital, the AP reported.
Flights to Crimea from Kiev, Istanbul and several other cities have been suspended for the rest of the week, with only those originating from Moscow landing, according to the AP.
Crimeans will be able to choose between two alternatives when they vote: Support reuniting Crimea with Russia, as a subject of the Russian Federation, or, support the restoration of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Crimea and Crimea's status as a part of Ukraine, the AP reported.
According to the 1992 Constitution, Crimea is really an independent state, apparently making the choice in effect between joining Russia and independence, according to the AP.
The Crimean Electoral Commission was delivering referendum ballots to regional administrative buildings, according to the body's head, Michail Malishev, the AP reported.
The new pro-Russian government on the peninsula in Ukraine's southeast said Tuesday that if the voters opt to join Russia, the first step will be to declare Crimea an independent and sovereign state, according to the AP. Then it will apply to join the Russian Federation.