House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) accused President Obama on Sunday of being too soft in his dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who just received the Russian parliament's permission to move troops into Ukraine.
“Putin is playing chess and I think we are playing marbles, and I don’t think it’s even close,” Rogers said on “Fox News Sunday.” “They’ve been running circles around us, and I believe it’s the naïve position on the National Security Council and the president’s advisers that if we just keep giving things to Russia, they’ll wake up and say, 'the United States is not that bad.’ That is completely missing the motivations of why Russia does what Russia does.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that Russia will face serious repercussions for its act of military aggression. The U.S. and other countries are considering boycotting the June meeting of the Group of Eight leading industrialized countries in Sochi, Russia, and Kerry also raised the possibility of visa bans, asset freezes and trade and investment penalties.
But Republicans have accused Obama of being too friendly toward Russia during his first term, when he attempted to "reset" U.S.-Russia relations. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called Obama "the most naive president in history" and suggested that he revive missile-defense programs and issue targeted sanctions against the regime.
Rogers said Obama missed the opportunity to use military force in Ukraine and now has "only economic options."
“There is not a lot of options on the table and candidly, I’m a fairly hawkish guy, sending more naval forces to operate in the Black Sea is really not a very good idea, given that we know that that day has long passed,” he said. “And unless you’re intending to use them, I wouldn’t send them."
Before You Go
Protestors inspect damage caused by recent anti-government protests on Independence Square following recent clashes in Kiev, Ukraine, on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014. Violence is escalating in the country of 45 million as the Russian-backed leader's security service conducts a nationwide anti-terrorism operation to end the three-month uprising.
A wounded anti-government protester is treated by medics near Independence Square on Feb. 20, 2014, in Kiev, Ukraine. After several weeks of calm, violence has again flared between anti-government protesters and police, with dozens killed.
A demonstrator stands on a balcony overlooking Independence square during the face-off against heavily armed police on Feb. 20, 2014, in Kiev. Armed protesters stormed police barricades in Kiev on Thursday in renewed violence that killed at least 26 people and shattered an hours-old truce as EU envoys held crisis talks with Ukraine's embattled president. Bodies of anti-government demonstrators lay amid smoldering debris after masked protesters hurling Molotov cocktails and stones forced police from Kiev's iconic Independence Square.
A wounded anti-government protester is carried to a waiting ambulance on Feb. 20, 2014, in Kiev, Ukraine. After several weeks of calm, violence has again flared between anti-government protesters and police, with dozens killed.
Dead bodies lay covered on the ground during clashes with riot police in central Kiev on Feb. 20, 2014, in Kiev. At least 26 protesters were killed on Feb. 20 in fresh clashes between thousands of demonstrators and heavily armed riot police in the heart of Kiev, AFP correspondents at the scene said.
Anti-government protesters clash with police in the center of Kiev on Feb. 20, 2014.
Anti-government protesters clear ashes and debris from a newly occupied portion of Independence Square on Feb. 20, 2014, in Kiev, Ukraine.
An anti-government protester sits on the Founders of Kiev monument during clashes with riot police in central Kiev on Feb. 20, 2014. At least 26 protesters were killed on Feb. 20 in fresh clashes between thousands of demonstrators and heavily-armed riot police in the heart of Kiev, AFP correspondents at the scene said.
Anti-government protesters stand behing their burning barricades during clashes with police in the center of Kiev on Feb. 20, 2014. At least 25 protesters were killed on Feb. 20 in fresh clashes between thousands of demonstrators and heavily armed riot police in the heart of Kiev, Agence France-Presse correspondents at the scene said. The bodies of eight demonstrators were lying outside Kiev's main post office on Independence Square, an AFP reporter said. The bodies of 17 other demonstrators with apparent gunshot wounds were also seen in the vicinity of two hotels on opposite sides of the protest encampment.
An anti-government protester holds a crucifix as he prays at Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, on Feb. 20, 2014. Ukraine's protest leaders and the president they aim to oust called a truce on Feb. 19, just hours after the military raised fears of a widespread crackdown with a vow to defeat "terrorists" responsible for seizing weapons and burning down buildings.
A heavily injured anti-government protestor is carried by fellow demonstrators during clashes with riot police in central Kiev on Feb. 20, 2014.
Anti-government protesters stand behind a 'wall of smoke' during clashes with police in the center of Kiev on Feb. 20, 2014. At least 25 protesters were killed on Feb. 20 in fresh clashes between thousands of demonstrators and heavily armed riot police in the heart of Kiev, Agence France-Presse correspondents at the scene said.