--- 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: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1c01c9f5-a010-410f-8e1e-87e23716bae5&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## 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. ## Transcript With Crimea voting on whether to break from Ukraine and join Russia, White House Advisor Dan Pfeiffer tells Meet the Press the US will ignore that referendum. This referendum is in violation of international law. The United States is not gonna recognize the results of that referendum. Russia's isolated in the world. You saw that in the UN Security Council yesterday. And the more they escalate, the longer this goes, the greater those costs will be. The crisis in Ukraine, and Russia's slow creep along the nation's border, dominated political talk on the Sunday shows. Much of that discussion focused on this saga's central figure, Vladimir Putin. The increasingly bold Russian President has American lawmakers, including John McCain, calling for new tactics. The United States of America first of all has to have a fundamental reassessment of our relationship with Vladimir Putin. No more reset buttons, no more, tell Vladimir I'll be more flexible. Treat him for what he is. McCain also urged renewing America's missile defense system in Eastern Europe, though he said he did not support sending troops into Ukraine, or restarting the Cold War, for that matter. A Senate committee has already passed a bill placing harsh economic sanctions on Russia, and sending financial aid to Ukraine. That bill was pushed by President Obama and the White House. Still, it will have to win approval on the Senate floor and in the House before going into effect. I'm Zach Toombs. ```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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