WASHINGTON, April 29 (UPI) -- U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew defended the program of sanctions the Obama administration has leveled against Russia, insisting the sanctions were taking a toll.
"You have to look over the period of time Russia went into Crimea, since we've imposed sanctions, there has been a quite substantial deterioration in Russia's already weak economy," Lew told a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday. "We see it in their stock exchange, we see it in their exchange rate, we see it in a number of important economic indicators."