You could say President Obama's highly anticipated trip to Malaysia has been overshadowed by developments with another country.
He's announced another round of sanctions against Russia.
OBAMA: "Russia has not lifted a finger to help. In fact, there is strong evidence they have been encouraging the kinds of activities that have been taking place in eastern and southern Ukraine."
The sanctions target seven Russian government officials with links to President Vladimir Putin. (Via U.S. Treasury Department)
President Obama warned if Moscow does not de-escalate the situation in eastern Ukraine, the economic consequences would be greater. (Via Euronews)
Previous sanctions included travel bans and asset freezes against more than 30 Russians and Ukrainians. But experts differ on whether these sanctions will have much of an impact on Russia's economy and whether they'll do much to change its policy in Ukraine.
White House officials maintain sanctions against individuals are working, but state-funded Russian news outlet RT reports sector-based sanctions are the only type that could harm Russia's economy and those "remain an elusive goal for Washington."
In his speech Monday, the president maintained that there was a diplomatic path to solving this issue. And that path included help from the U.S.' European allies.
OBAMA: "We're going to be in a stronger position to deter Mr. Putin when he sees the world is unified. They're really interested in portraying this through a Cold War prism." (Via The White House)
The E.U. is expected to announce its own sanctions against 15 Russian individuals Monday.
