Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R) slammed US President Barack Obama's foreign policy on Sunday, saying Obama could have taken more drastic steps to prevent the Russian invasion of Crimea.
On CBS's "Face the Nation," Romney declared that Obama has been exhibiting "faulty judgement" and "naiveté" in dealing with the crisis in Ukraine, and noted that the President had slammed him during the 2012 presidential race for calling Russia the US's "number one geopolitical foe."
Several senators and lawmakers have spoken out against Obama's handling of the Russian invasion of Crimea, which some have perceived as weak and ineffective. Senator John McCain urged the US to support Ukraine militarily, if needed, against the Russians, saying international response so far has been "hot air and very little action."
International attention has focused on the ongoing high tension between Russia and Ukraine, which has snowballed since spiraling into crisis in December. Concern is rising that the Crimean takeover could turn into a precedent for Ukraine to splinter further - especially over protests erupting in the pro-Russian province Donetsk.
So far, much of the US's response to the Russian invasion has been economic. On Thursday, Obama slapped sanctions on top Russian officials, and Putin retaliated by hitting top U.S. officials with sanctions of his own.
Russia’s newest sanctions bar nine American officials from entering Russia.The list includes House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.