Obama Urges Putin to Back Down or Face New Sanctions

President Barack Obama urged Russia to de-escalate the crisis over Ukraine or face the consequences of more sanctions if it encroaches further into the east of the country after its annexation of Crimea.

President Vladimir Putin “has to understand that there’s a choice to be made here,” Obama told a news conference after a 53-nation nuclear-security summit in The Hague today, saying there’s “another path open” to the Russian leader. “It is now up to Russia to act responsibly and show itself once again willing to abide by international rules and international norms.”