Obama: "This is a choice that Russia, and particular President Putin, has made."
Obama: "not a new cold war."
Obama: the U.S. sanctions against Russia announced today entail a "bigger bite," targeting that country's energy, finance, and arms sectors.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki speaking at a news briefing in Washington on the timing of U.S. claims that Russia violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987:
"We first raised this issue with Russia last year. That happens at [U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security] Rose [Gottemoeller's] level, which is the appropriate level -- the undersecretary level. Decisions need to be made in these cases based on whether these issues constitute noncompliance after a careful fact-based process, which includes diplomatic work and an interagency consideration process. That has been ongoing, as it was concluded the information is made available to Congress."
"To be clear this has nothing to do with Ukraine -- I understand there could be the perception -- and the timing is unrelated to [anything] having to do with Ukraine. There is a process that is [usually] undergone to review whether there is noncompliance and that was completed."
From our Washington correspondent on the fresh U.S. sanctions on Russia. We'll be adding to this story through the night.
U.S. Adds Russian Banks, Shipbuilding Company To Sanctions List
Here's the EU's fact sheet, courtesy of Brussels correspondent @RikardJozwiak:
EU restrictive measures in view of the situation in Eastern Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea
That concludes our live blogging for Tuesday, July 29. Follow our ongoing coverage HERE.
With the Ukrainian army gaining ground in fierce fighting against separatists around Donetsk and elsewhere, pro-Russia commander Igor Girkin (aka Strelkov) decided it was time to issue an order banning public profanity in the ranks. Such language is non-Russian in origin, he says, and its usage thus "demeans us spiritually and leads an army to defeat." He orders that it be regarded as "a serious disciplinary offense and punished accordingly."
Drinking by warriors constitutes "blasphemy," he adds.