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With sanctions, Obama aims to hit Vladimir Putin where it hurts
ByDana Milbank, March18，2014
Two weeks after Vladimir Putin seized Crimea, President Obama finally announced his response. He would hit the Russian president in the cronies.
A quartet of Obama administration officials, in a Monday morning conference call, announced the crony-busting potential of new U.S. sanctions:
“It creates the ability to target…what are commonly known as Russian government cronies.”
“Our current focus is to identify these cronies of the Russian government and target their personal assets and wealth.”
“We, of course, also have the so-called crony capacity under the second EO [executive order] as well.”
“The ability to sanction the cronies who provide support to the Russian government really gets at individuals who have dedicated significant resources in supporting President Putin.”
There were no fewer than seven mentions of cronies on the call.

The administration officials who explained the moves in the conference call used some tough language: “in violation of Ukraine’s constitution…environment of coercion…violated international law…illegal referendum.” But their language was undermined by their decision to hide behind anonymity. The White House required that the officials not be quoted by name.
ABC’s Jon Karl asked about the omission of Putin from the sanctions list. An official explained that it would be “a highly unusual and rather extraordinary case for the United States to sanction a head of state of another country.” Also on the call, the officials pointed out that “the United States is prepared to take additional proportional and responsive steps to impose further political and economic costs.”

This logic, however, seemed to assume that there was nothing “extraordinary” in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine — and that imposing a travel ban and asset freeze on seven Russians is a “proportional” response to the invasion.
The select few cronies who were targeted were targeted only gently. On the call, an official said they were going after the assets and wealth of “the individuals known as the cronies” and not the businesses they run.
The Obama administration “will not rule out taking additional steps in the future,” this unnamable official said. That’s a relief. Putin isn’t the type who will back down unless his cronies are really hurting