--- title: John McCain and Republicans Knock Barack Obama on Russia description: Sen. John McCain and other GOP leaders say the White House hasn't gone far enough to contain Russian President Vladimir Putin canonical: https://time.com/26522/russia-crimea-ukraine-republicans-obama/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-16T16:36:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:06:28.592Z article:section: Politics og:title: John McCain and Republicans Knock Barack Obama on Russia og:description: Sen. John McCain and other GOP leaders say the White House hasn't gone far enough to contain Russian President Vladimir Putin og:url: https://time.com/26522/russia-crimea-ukraine-republicans-obama/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdb112fd423297e4e/698685ae810bbb1cf6c90824/rtr3h78h.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk (L) meets with U.S. Senator John McCain in Kiev og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: John McCain and Republicans Knock Barack Obama on Russia twitter:description: Sen. John McCain and other GOP leaders say the White House hasn't gone far enough to contain Russian President Vladimir Putin twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdb112fd423297e4e/698685ae810bbb1cf6c90824/rtr3h78h.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Republicans Knock Obama on Russia, as Crimea Vote Gets Underway > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: White House Will Ignore Crimea Referendum Results [Watch (HLS stream): White House Will Ignore Crimea Referendum Results](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/qkektTph.m3u8) (1:10)  _Published 2014-03-16. On the Sunday shows, a White House adviser said the vote in Crimea to break off from Ukraine defied international law. And Sen. John McCain called for a fundamental shift in how the U.S. handles Russia._ by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Mar 16, 2014 4:36 PM UTC  Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, left, meets with Senator John McCain in Kiev March 15, 2014. Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, left, meets with Senator John McCain in Kiev March 15, 2014.Andrew Kravchenko/Pool—Reuters by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Mar 16, 2014 4:36 PM UTC Republicans fiercely criticized President Barack Obama’s handling of the crisis in Ukraine on Sunday, urging the White House to take a firm stand against Russia’s intervention just as the Crimea region of Ukraine was voting on a referendum to split from the country. “Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) [said](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/16/mccain-russia%5Fn%5F4974361.html) on CNN’s _State of the Union_, calling for “fundamental reassessment” of the U.S. relationship with Moscow. “It’s kleptocracy, it’s corruption, it’s a nation that’s really only dependent upon oil and gas for their economy,” McCain said. The comments came as voting was underway in Crimea, with the strongly ethnic-Russian peninsula voting on whether to secede from Ukraine and join Russia, despite repeated threats by the U.S. and the European Union that the vote will not be recognized as legitimate and that it will lead to further sanctions. Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Russia of consequences. But Republicans said Sunday that’s not enough, with some pointing to Kerry’s comments that the U.S. isn’t seeking to “threaten” President Vladimir Putin. “Our administration is creating an air of permissiveness,” Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) [said](http://www.politico.com/blogs/politico-live/2014/03/corker-kerry-comments-not-helpful-185187.html) on _Fox News Sunday_. “We do need to show long-term resolve. The comment that Secretary Kerry made is not helpful and again it shows a wishy washiness.” Republicans said Russia’s recalcitrance requires a strong hand. “No more reset buttons, no more ‘Tell Vladimir I’ll be more flexible.’ Treat him for what he is,” McCain said. “That does not mean the re-ignition of the Cold War. But it does mean treating him in the way that we understand an individual who believes in restoring the old Russian empire.” White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer, appearing on NBC’s _Meet the Press_, reiterated the American position that the vote is not legitimate, and that sanctions would follow with the U.S. “supporting the new Ukrainian government in whatever way possible.” “The United States is not going to recognize the results of that referendum,” Pfeiffer said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/26522/russia-crimea-ukraine-republicans-obama/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/26522/russia-crimea-ukraine-republicans-obama/"},"headline":"Republicans Knock Obama on Russia, as Crimea Vote Gets Underway","datePublished":"2014-03-16T16:36:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:06:28.592Z","description":"Sen. 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