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| The U.S. should keep tightening the sanctions on Russia | The U.S. should keep tightening the sanctions on Russia |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| THE SANCTIONS against Russia that President Obama announced Thursday were far tougher than those previously taken in response to the invasion and annexation of Crimea. But they remained carefully calibrated: Mr. Obama aimed to inflict economic pain on Vladimir Putin and his inner circle of financiers and cronies, not on the Russian economy as a whole. Mr. Putin was not named, but his personal banker and bank were locked out of the U.S. financial system, as were key aides and several longtime friends who have become billionaires under his regime and who may handle some of his investments. | THE SANCTIONS against Russia that President Obama announced Thursday were far tougher than those previously taken in response to the invasion and annexation of Crimea. But they remained carefully calibrated: Mr. Obama aimed to inflict economic pain on Vladimir Putin and his inner circle of financiers and cronies, not on the Russian economy as a whole. Mr. Putin was not named, but his personal banker and bank were locked out of the U.S. financial system, as were key aides and several longtime friends who have become billionaires under his regime and who may handle some of his investments. |
| The U.S. strategy could have the advantage of punishing Mr. Putin while minimizing the collateral damage to the U.S., European and global economies that could come from a broader economic war. At the same time, Mr. Obama sought to deter further Russian aggression by granting authority for sanctions against Russian economic sectors, including the energy industry, and making clear that they would be imposed if other parts of Ukraine were attacked. | The U.S. strategy could have the advantage of punishing Mr. Putin while minimizing the collateral damage to the U.S., European and global economies that could come from a broader economic war. At the same time, Mr. Obama sought to deter further Russian aggression by granting authority for sanctions against Russian economic sectors, including the energy industry, and making clear that they would be imposed if other parts of Ukraine were attacked. |
| Mr. Obama should get credit for leading the Western response to Mr. Putin: Burdened by the need to establish consensus among 28 governments and with larger domestic equities at stake, the European Union has not been as aggressive in targeting the Putin circle. But the U.S. sanctions still fall far short of what is needed to inflict the “massive” damage to the Russian economy threatened by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, much less force a retreat from Crimea. | |
| The test now will be whether Mr. Putin ceases what has been a steady escalation since Russian troops fanned out in Crimea nearly three weeks ago. On Thursday the outlook was not good: Moscow not only sanctioned several U.S. politicians and White House officials but it also imposed what U.S. officials said appeared to be a trade embargo with Ukraine. Mr. Obama expressed “grave concern” about Russian troop movements that could presage a move into southern and eastern Ukraine. Mr. Putin is still refusing to recognize the Ukrainian government in Kiev and appears bent on bringing about its downfall. | The test now will be whether Mr. Putin ceases what has been a steady escalation since Russian troops fanned out in Crimea nearly three weeks ago. On Thursday the outlook was not good: Moscow not only sanctioned several U.S. politicians and White House officials but it also imposed what U.S. officials said appeared to be a trade embargo with Ukraine. Mr. Obama expressed “grave concern” about Russian troop movements that could presage a move into southern and eastern Ukraine. Mr. Putin is still refusing to recognize the Ukrainian government in Kiev and appears bent on bringing about its downfall. |
| The administration has declined to provide military aid to the Ukrainian army, irking some critics. But even with such assistance, Ukrainian forces would be unable to stop a Russian invasion; the economic tools at the West’s disposal have more potential punch. Mr. Putin and his political elite appear drunk with euphoria over their successful seizure of Crimea and skeptical about the West’s will to push back. If the latest sanctions do not quickly sober them up, Mr. Obama must not hesitate to expand the range of sanctions from Mr. Putin’s inner circle to the pillars of the Russian economy. | The administration has declined to provide military aid to the Ukrainian army, irking some critics. But even with such assistance, Ukrainian forces would be unable to stop a Russian invasion; the economic tools at the West’s disposal have more potential punch. Mr. Putin and his political elite appear drunk with euphoria over their successful seizure of Crimea and skeptical about the West’s will to push back. If the latest sanctions do not quickly sober them up, Mr. Obama must not hesitate to expand the range of sanctions from Mr. Putin’s inner circle to the pillars of the Russian economy. |
| Read more on this issue: | Read more on this issue: |
| The Post: Complete coverage of the Ukraine crisis | The Post: Complete coverage of the Ukraine crisis |
| The Post’s View: The West must assuage the fears of former Soviet republics | The Post’s View: The West must assuage the fears of former Soviet republics |
| David J. Kramer: The flaws in U.S. sanctions against Russia | David J. Kramer: The flaws in U.S. sanctions against Russia |
| Juan Zarate: How U.S. sanctions against Russia could bite back | Juan Zarate: How U.S. sanctions against Russia could bite back |
| Masha Gessen: Putin wins in Russia only by escalating his rhetoric and his war | Masha Gessen: Putin wins in Russia only by escalating his rhetoric and his war |
| Vladislav Inozemtsev: Russia’s expansion into Ukraine could cost Putin dearly | Vladislav Inozemtsev: Russia’s expansion into Ukraine could cost Putin dearly |
| Vladimir V. Kara-Murza: Ukraine is Putin’s, not Russia’s, war | Vladimir V. Kara-Murza: Ukraine is Putin’s, not Russia’s, war |
| Robert Menendez: Russia’s aggressive behavior can’t go unchecked by the U.S. | Robert Menendez: Russia’s aggressive behavior can’t go unchecked by the U.S. |
| Condoleezza Rice: Will America heed the wake-up call of Ukraine? | Condoleezza Rice: Will America heed the wake-up call of Ukraine? |
| Henry Kissinger: How the Ukraine crisis ends | Henry Kissinger: How the Ukraine crisis ends |
| Stephen J. Hadley and Damon Wilson: Putin’s larger strategy behind takeover of Crimea | Stephen J. Hadley and Damon Wilson: Putin’s larger strategy behind takeover of Crimea |
| The Post’s View: Putin’s knives in the night threaten an independent Russian broadcaster | The Post’s View: Putin’s knives in the night threaten an independent Russian broadcaster |
| George F. Will: Misreading Putin, and history | George F. Will: Misreading Putin, and history |
| Eliot A. Cohen: Putin’s power play in Ukraine | Eliot A. Cohen: Putin’s power play in Ukraine |
| Molly K. McKew and Gregory A. Maniatis: How Putin has upended warfare | Molly K. McKew and Gregory A. Maniatis: How Putin has upended warfare |
| Fred Hiatt: Will the West let Putin off the hook? | Fred Hiatt: Will the West let Putin off the hook? |