Obama presses Putin about sanctions

August 1, 2014
Zaina Kahuk
News Writer
Headlines

President Obama spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, for the first time since the United States and the European Union presented Russia with new sanctions over its recent activities in Ukraine. Previous sanctions targeted specific individuals and businesses, the new sanctions announced this week are aimed at major sectors of the Russian economy, including oil, banking, arms and finance. They also discussed how U.S. claims Russian missile tests violates a 1987 arms control treaty. Meanwhile Vice President Biden spoke to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko via a telephone call about $8 million in new U.S. assistance to the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service.