Biden's first round of sanctions invites calls for more aggressive measures
CBSN
Washington — Sanctions rolled out by the Biden administration this week that aim to deter further aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin against Ukraine stop short of penalties that will hamstring Russia's economy, experts say, and instead leave room for harsher measures.
The U.S. and Western allies have made clear the sanctions they've imposed thus far are just an initial response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's recognition of two regions in eastern Ukraine as independent and ordering of so-called "peacekeeping" forces to the breakaway republics. But if Putin escalates further, Western leaders are poised to impose more severe penalties on Russia, they've stressed.
"If you look at where the U.S. is on the sanctions escalation ladder, it's on rung three of 10 right now," said Chris Miller, an assistant professor at the Fletcher School of Tufts University and co-director of its Russia and Eurasia Program.
