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-Prominent politicians from both sides blasted President Barack Obama's 'weak' response to Russia military incursions into Ukraine-Secretary of State John Kerry called for an immediate de-escalation of hostilities and withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine-President Obama had a 90 minute phone call Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin-Obama condemned the presence of Russian troops in Ukraine and pulled the US out of preparatory meetings for an upcoming G-8 summit in Sochi-The UN Security Council held open hearings on the growing crisis where the revocation of trade deals was discussedBy ASSOCIATED PRESS and RYAN GORMANPUBLISHED: 16:27 EST, 1 March 2014 | UPDATED: 06:34 EST, 2 March 2014Senior US politicians from both parties criticized President Barack Obama's threats to Russian President Vladimir Putin and called for immediate sanctions if troops are not immediately withdrawn from UkraineRepublican Senators John McCain (AZ), Marco Rubio (FL) and Bob Corker (TN) and others, as well as some Democrats, reached across the aisle to call for immediate sanctions against Russia and aid to Ukraine before Putin becomes even more emboldened.McCain was quick to criticize the president's threats in an interview with the Daily Beast, calling them 'laughable' and partly blaming former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for thinking she and Obama could 'reset' relations with Russia back in 2009.'She believed that somehow there would be a reset with a guy who was a KGB colonel who always had ambitions to restore the Russian empire,' said McCain. 'That’s what this is all about.'Stern warning: President Barack Obama threatened sanctions while talking Saturday on the phone from the Oval Office with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation in UkraineThe Senator called for the Obama administration to more liberally enforce the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law and Accountability Act, which has allowed the US government to sanction Russian officials for human rights violations since being signed into law in 2009.Any Russian officials, Putin included, involved in sending troops to Ukraine should be sanctioned, McCain argued - such action would result in asset freezing, visa bans and a wagging of the collective international finger, Daily Beast noted.'We must consider legislation to respond to this,' McCain continued. 'The Magnitsky bill can be expanded for holding people responsible for these acts of aggression.'The longtime Senator also called for economic sanctions and other actions against Russia.Corker also hammered away at the situation, calling Russia 'a nation still smarting from the breakup of the Soviet Union with a leader who is nothing but an autocrat' and called for immediate sanctions during a CNN interview.'We need to do everything we can to isolate them,' Corker continued. 'We’ve got to work with [Europe] to do the necessary things… to mitigate conduct.’He later said in a statement 'Vladimir Putin is seizing a neighboring territory — again — so President Obama must lead a meaningful, unified response.'http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2571095/UN-Security-Council-meets-openly-Ukraine.html
McCain was quick to criticize the president's threats in an interview with the Daily Beast, calling them 'laughable' and partly blaming former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for thinking she and Obama could 'reset' relations with Russia back in 2009.'She believed that somehow there would be a reset with a guy who was a KGB colonel who always had ambitions to restore the Russian empire,' said McCain. 'That’s what this is all about.'The Senator called for the Obama administration to more liberally enforce the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law and Accountability Act, which has allowed the US government to sanction Russian officials for human rights violations since being signed into law in 2009.Any Russian officials, Putin included, involved in sending troops to Ukraine should be sanctioned, McCain argued - such action would result in asset freezing, visa bans and a wagging of the collective international finger, Daily Beast noted.'We must consider legislation to respond to this,' McCain continued. 'The Magnitsky bill can be expanded for holding people responsible for these acts of aggression.'The longtime Senator also called for economic sanctions and other actions against Russia.Corker also hammered away at the situation, calling Russia 'a nation still smarting from the breakup of the Soviet Union with a leader who is nothing but an autocrat' and called for immediate sanctions during a CNN interview.'We need to do everything we can to isolate them,' Corker continued. 'We’ve got to work with [Europe] to do the necessary things… to mitigate conduct.’