WHITE HOUSE TO RUSSIA: Prepare To Get Whacked By The Worst Sanctions Yet

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REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G8 Summit at Lough Erne in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland June 17, 2013.

President Barack Obama convened a video conference with four European Union leaders on Monday, during which they agreed to implement additional sanctions against Russia for its continued involvement in the Ukrainian crisis.

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Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken said during the White House daily press briefing on Monday that the U.S. expects the EU to take additional steps against Russia this week, which the U.S. will follow. Blinken said those measures would include sanctions on whole sectors of the Russian economy, including the financial, arms, and energy sectors.

"Russia bears responsibility for everything that's going on in Eastern Ukraine," Blinken told reporters, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin has "doubled down" on his support of pro-Russian separatists in the eastern part of the country.

Obama spoke Monday with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Blinken emphasized the coordination among the leaders and the agreement to implement new sanctions, something that has been a sticking point between the U.S. and EU throughout the Ukrainian crisis.

The new measures will come in the wake of the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which the West has blamed pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine for shooting down. Blinken said it's still "unclear who pulled the trigger," but said Russia "bears responsibility."

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The U.S. and its allies have charged Russia with continuing to support the separatists by flowing weapons across the border, including rocket launchers, artillery pieces, tanks, and armored vehicles. Russia has continued to deny it is supporting the rebels. But in a somewhat extraordinary public rebuff, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov he didn't accept his denial that weapons from Russia were helping to fuel the conflict.

"In the battlefield, Ukrainians are doing very well," Blinken said. "That's why we think Russia is doubling down."

Blinken also said Monday the U.S. thinks the pro-Russian separatists could still be in possession of the types of surface-to-air missiles that were believed to have brought down MH17.

Blinken said the White House sees Russia's "playbook" as attempting to bait Ukraine into taking military action that would give Russia an excuse to launch a veiled "humanitarian" or "peacekeeping" mission by sending troops into eastern Ukraine. He stressed, however, that a diplomatic solution is still the preferred path.

"We would like nothing better than to resolve this crisis diplomatically. That's now up to President Putin," Blinken said.

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