Sen. John McCain blasted the "timidity" of the Obama administration’s sanctions on Russian officials Monday, saying that the White House needs a "fundamental reassessment" of the relationship between the United States and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"This president’s response – I don’t know how it could have been weaker, besides doing nothing," McCain said during an appearance on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports.
The Arizona Republican said that Putin is likely "encouraged by the absolute timidity" of the U.S. reaction to Russia's incursion into Crimea.
"I don’t know when the president and his advisers are going to wake up to what Putin is really all about," he added. "We've got to start with a fundamental reassessment of our relationship with him."
McCain, who just returned from a trip to Ukraine with seven other lawmakers, recommended that the United States instead provide Ukrainian forces with defensive weapons and training.
"One of the things that I would do is send some of our military to Kiev and find out how we can best assist them," he said.
