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Russian President Vladimir Putin made it official Friday and completed the annexation of Crimea, hailing it as “remarkable event” as he signed the bills into law.

The United States and the European Union have responded to this power grab and imposed an additional round of sanctions on Russian.

Thursday, the president said in a statement on the crisis in the Ukraine, “Based on the executive order that I signed in response to Russia’s initial intervention in Ukraine, we’re imposing sanctions on more senior officials of the Russian government.  In addition, we are today sanctioning a number of other individuals with substantial resources and influence who provide material support to the Russian leadership, as well as a bank that provides material support to these individuals.”

He further commented, “I signed a new executive order today that gives us the authority to impose sanctions not just on individuals but on key sectors of the Russian economy.”

As the president was imposing sanction of various Russian leaders who support Putin, the Russian leader imposed his own sanctions on American officials.

As of now nine American officials are barred from entering Russia and they include House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

As of right now beyond signing the new executive order, the president has not sanctioned other elements of the Russian economy to include the banking and energy sector. 

The crisis in the Ukraine and Russian annexation of the Crimea will be a top issue at the next G-7 summit who’s member’s include  United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Britain.

The original G-8 summit was to be hosted by Russia in Sochi, the place of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Throughout this entire crisis it seems the United States has failed to heed the axiom of Sun Tzu centuries ago, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

The administration is playing chess, and badly at that, hoping for some means of defusing the crisis and or some kind of face saving deal by not having to deal with it.

The question the administration does not know is what is Putin’s ultimate goal?  Does he want the eastern part of Ukraine, thus giving him a land corridor to Crimea?

Ukraine is not part of NATO, but the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania are.  They were once incorporated into Russia at the onset of World War II, and only recently gained independence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

All three of these countries have sizable Russian population; does Putin try and size these countries, using the same pretext he used in the Crimea?

As the president stated yesterday, “In Europe, I’ll also be reinforcing a message that Vice President Biden carried to Poland and the Baltic states this week:  America’s support for our NATO allies is unwavering.  We’re bound together by our profound Article 5 commitment to defend one another, and by a set of shared values that so many generations sacrificed for.  We’ve already increased our support for our Eastern European allies, and we will continue to strengthen NATO’s collective defense, and we will step up our cooperation with Europe on economic and energy issues as well.”

The next question is what is Putin’s next step? No one in the administration knows and the president only reacts after Putin makes a move; this makes the crisis more volatile not less.   

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