More sanctions for Russia

TOKYO (AP):

Accusing Russia of failing to live up to its commitments, President Barack Obama warned Moscow yesterday that the United States (US) has another round of economic sanctions "teed up", even as 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 exerting influence over elections scheduled for next month in the former Soviet republic. A diplomatic accord that offered a glimmer of hope for a resolution to the tense dispute is crumbling, and Russia has warned of a firm response if the country's citizens or interests in Ukraine are attacked.

no military response

With no appetite in the US for a military response, Obama is largely banking on Putin, the Russian president, caving under a cascade of economic sanctions targeting his closest associates. But the success of that strategy also depends on European nations with closer financial ties to Moscow taking similar action despite their concern about a boomerang effect on their own economies.

"I understand that additional sanctions may not change Mr Putin's calculus," Obama said during a joint news conference in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "How well they change his calculus in part depends on not only us applying sanctions but also the cooperation of other countries."