President Barack Obama gestures as he attends a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Akasaka State Guest House in Tokyo, Thursday, April 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Junko Kimura-Matsumoto, Pool)
April 24, 2014 - 12:26 AM
TOKYO - President Barack Obama is accusing Russia of failing to live up to its commitments and warning Moscow that the United States has another round of economic sanctions "teed up." Still, he acknowledged those penalties may do little to influence Vladimir Putin's handling of the crisis in Ukraine.
Obama's frank pessimism underscored the limits of Washington's ability to prevent Russia from stirring up instability in Ukraine's east and seeking to influence elections scheduled in the former Soviet republic next month.
Obama is largely banking on Putin caving under economic sanctions against his closest associates. But he acknowledged Thursday that the success of that strategy also depends on European nations with closer financial ties with Moscow taking similar action. Many of those governments worry about a boomerang effect on their own economies.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014