Carter Says Sanctions Alone Aren’t Deterring Russia in Ukraine

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said U.S. and European sanctions aren’t enough to force Russia to back down in Ukraine and must be bolstered, including with more allied military exercises.

Despite battering the Russian economy, sanctions haven’t altered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s confrontational stance, Carter told reporters on Friday. Russia’s economy is succumbing to its first recession since 2009 amid the sanctions and weak oil prices. Its currency lost about half of its value against the dollar in 2014, although the Russian central bank has taken steps this year to bolster the ruble.