Sen. John McCain, called President Obama "the most naïve president in history" Thursday, slamming the administration’s inept handling of relations with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin "played us so incredibly," the Arizona Republican said on Phoenix radio station KFYI.
"This is the most naïve president in history."
"The naïveté of Barack Obama and [Secretary of State] John Kerry is stunning," he added in his interview with host Barry Young, calling out the Obama administration’s strategy for Iran and Syria.
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The sharp criticism came just a day after McCain and Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said they were working up legislation
to impose sanctions against the Ukrainian government because of the bloody crackdown on protesters.
In a statement Wednesday, the pair called for targeted sanctions in Ukraine, calling the violence there "tragic and horrific."
"The ultimate responsibility for the deteriorating situation in Ukraine lies with the Yanukovych government. It has refused to take meaningful, timely steps to resolve the country’s political and economic crisis through dialogue."
The pair had traveled to Ukraine last December to meet government and opposition leaders,
The Hill noted.
In his interview, McCain warned things could get much worse in Ukraine.
"This thing could easily spiral out of control into a major international crisis," he said. "The first thing we need to do is impose sanctions on those people who are in leadership positions."
The senator, who was the GOP presidential candidate in 2008, blasted Putin as "amoral, he’s cold, he’s distant, he’s tough."
"Watch Putin after the Olympics are over. He may try — and I emphasize may — try to have some partition of … Ukraine," McCain said. "He is committed to keeping Ukraine as part of Russia."
"Putin believes Ukraine is an integral part of Russia. He will not go quietly into the night about when Ukraine moves into the European orbit, so to say," the senator said.
McCain asserted Ukraine was headed in that direction before Putin got in the way.
McCain said military intervention is off the table.
"We’re not going to intervene militarily," he vowed. "We’re not going to send a single troop over there. We’re not going to put a single person in harm’s way."
Later, when a listener asked why McCain is "pro-Obama" on certain issues and "anti-Obama" on others, the senator shot back: "Tell me when I’m pro-Obama. Friend, you are totally misinformed.... You’re lying."
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