Obama says US sanctions isolate Russia, ruin economy

MOSCOW, Jan 21 (PRIME) -- The U.S. sanctions which followed the Crimea accession to Russia have managed to isolate Moscow and to tear its economy into pieces, U.S. President Barack Obama said Wednesday in his speech to the nation.

"You'll recall that three or four months ago, everybody in Washington was convinced that President Putin was a genius and he had outmaneuvered all of us and he had bullied and strategized his way into expanding Russian power," Obama said.

“Well, today, it is America that stands strong and united with our allies, while Russia is isolated, with its economy in tatters.”

America’s support of Ukraine is a demonstration of the U.S. diplomatic strength, Obama said. “We're upholding the principle that bigger nations can't bully the small,” he said.

The U.S. will avoid imposing further sanctions against Iran, Obama said separately, explaining that this would only trigger continuation of the nuclear program in the country.

Obama said the U.S. will start cooperating with Cuba, rewriting the policy “long past its expiration date” and will compete with China over the influence in Asia.

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