Putin Shrugs Off Sanctions as Allies Weigh Pariah Status

President Vladimir Putin shrugged off the most punitive U.S. sanctions so far over the unrest in Ukraine, even as some of his closest allies fretted publicly over the risk of isolation from the global economy.

Russian stocks fell to a six-week low and the ruble weakened the most against the dollar in four months after the U.S. curbed financing options for some of the country’s largest corporations, including oil producer OAO Rosneft, gas company OAO Novatek and lender OAO Gazprombank.