NATO expert says Obama was so soft on Moscow that 'Russian legislators made fun of him'

pulse

February 15, 2017 5:41 PM

"Obama’s sanctions are so soft, some Russian legislators made fun of him and begged the US to sanction them."

Latvian troops practice calling in close air support with US forces.

President Donald Trump posed a question via Twitter on Wednesday morning: "Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia?"

According to NATO expert Jorge Benitez of the Atlantic Council, he was — but there's more to the story.

"Yes, Obama was too soft on Russia," Benitez told Business Insider. "But so were Germany, France, the UK, the EU, the UN, and Congress."

Benitez said that the international community's treatment of Russia's invasion of Georgia in 2008 was "" and "contributed to Putin’s willingness to attack Ukraine," adding that the softness also added to "

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