Russian Pol Snarks At 'Comrade' Obama After U.S. Slaps Him With Sanctions

[ProSense]

12. Well,

"it's always going to be about the perception by Russia/Putin & Company, as WEAKNESS on the part of the U.S. and Obama."

...that's if one wants to take snarking on Twitter after your assets have been frozen at face value. Like I said in another thread, it's not like the sanctions can't be expanded, and not everyone agrees with your assessment.

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Sanction Traction

“In order to get any traction with sanctions you have to bring the EU in and I think that will be a difficult task because of their dependence on Russian oil and gas resources,” Gunitsky said.

The EU’s bill for Russian oil and gas amounted to $156.5 billion in 2012, 38 times what the U.S. spent for Russian energy, according to the International Trade Centre’s Trade Map, a venture sponsored by the World Trade Organization and the United Nations.

Sanctions that crimp the lifestyles of Putin’s billionaire friends, such as visa restrictions and bank account freezes, might “be more effective and easier for Europe to stomach than sanctions on Russian gas,” Gunitsky said.

And energy sanctions may backfire if cutting off Russian shipments raises prices and triggers a backlash from angry European consumers.

- more -

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-17/russia-s-160-billion-stick-hinders-crimean-sanctions.html

The EU is targeting 21 individuals.

EU imposes sanctions after Crimea moves to join Russia

By Aleksandar Vasovic and Adrian Croft

(Reuters) - The European Union is to impose sanctions including asset freezes and travel bans on 21 officials from Russia and Ukraine after Crimea applied to join Russia on Monday following a weekend referendum, Lithuania's foreign minister said.

Crimea's leaders declared a Soviet-style 97-percent result in favor of seceding from Ukraine in a vote condemned as illegal by Kiev and the West.

After a meeting lasting around three hours, the EU's 28 foreign ministers agreed on a list of those to be sanctioned for their part in Russia's seizure of Crimea and Sunday's referendum on joining Russia.

The ministers had "just agreed on sanctions - travel restrictions & assets freeze against 21 officials from Ukraine & Russia," Lithuanian foreign minister Linan Linkevicius wrote in a message on Twitter.

- more -

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/17/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA1Q1E820140317