Boehner: Putin a ‘thug’ who deserves sanctions

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “thug” on Monday and joined growing calls for sanctions against Russia.

“It’s time to stand up to Putin,” Boehner told the Cincinnati Inquirer. “At what point do you say enough is enough? We are at that point.”

{mosads}Boehner said the U.S. should join with Europe in imposing sanctions against Russia following reports that Russian troops have taken control of the Crimea region of Ukraine. Boehner but did not specify what sanctions should be on the table.

The Obama administration is already considering retaliatory measures.

Secretary of State John Kerry threatened to impose asset freezes and visa bans during appearances on the Sunday talk shows. He is traveling to Ukraine on Tuesday.

“There could be certainly disruption of any of the normal trade routine,” Kerry told “Meet the Press.” “There could be business drawback on investment in the country. The ruble is already going down and feeling the impact of this. And the reason for this is because you just don’t invade another country on phony pretext in order to assert your interests.”

NATO met in an emergency session in Brussels over the weekend, and the group of G-7 industrialized nations issued a statement denouncing the “clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine” and suspended preparations for the upcoming G-8 summit in Sochi.

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