This post has been updated.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says the U.S. is hitting Russia with new economic sanctions because it has failed to defuse tensions with Ukraine.
European leaders also ordered stepped-up economic sanctions on Russia.
The increased economic pressure is designed to end the insurgency in eastern Ukraine that is widely believed to be backed by Russia.
Obama says he prefers a diplomatic solution but that Russia hasn’t shown that it is committed to ending the conflict.
The latest U.S. sanctions target leading Russian energy firms and financial institutions, as well as Russian companies that make weapons. Officials say the ability of these entities to access U.S. capital markets will be limited.
An adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin and three other individuals were also targeted.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Yep, Putin’s forces shot down a Ukrainian military plane, and this shoe too will now drop.
BTW, Ukraine (former) adversaries are teaming up against Putin’s lackeys, something predicted in blog world back when Vlad the greatest strategist since Stalin, was thinking of creating a land route through Eastern Ukraine (To his Dacha?) but thought it over apparently hoping populist manure from Moscow would sway the region. As noted then, it has not.
This was flying under the radar. I guess Ukraine is bereft of new news.
Obama’s onto you. Vlad, you’re toast, babe.
The only question is how much it’s going to cost Russia.
Are we supposed to see this is:
A) Proof President Obama is a dictator
or
B) Proof President Obama is a wimp
I need the fapping Fright-Wing™ to inform us ASAP.
I guess the wait for things to cool down and Obama will forget plan is officially a fail.
Putie is going to keep messin’ until he gets himself Mrs. Clinton to deal with and she’s no Bush.