In a new NPR interview published Monday morning, Obama dismissed those who hailed Vladimir Putin as a crafty world player when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
"Three or four months ago, everybody in Washington was convinced that President Putin was a genius and he had outmaneuvered all of us, and he had bullied, and strategized his way into expanding Russian power," Obama said, according to NPR's transcript. "Today, I'd sense that — at least outside of Russia — maybe some people are thinking what Putin did wasn't so smart."
Earlier in the year, the Russian government forcibly annexed Crimea, a region in southern Ukraine. As a result, the US and others leveled economic sanctions against Russia. The Obama administration also accused Moscow-backed separatists, still active in other parts of Ukraine, of shooting down a Malaysian passenger jet over the summer.
Obama didn't name his critics, but many prominent Republicans lambasted the White House for being insufficiently tough in the face of Putin's aggression. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who is considering a run for president in 2016, said Obama was a "kitty cat" next to the Russian bear.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/obama...genius-2014-12