USA: Sanctions against Russia are not meant to provoke new Cold War - Obama

US President Barack Obama reaffirmed his position on the sanctions against Russia during his speech at the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Monday. "We cannot stand by when the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a nation is flagrantly violated. If that happens without consequence in Ukraine, it could happen to any nation gathered here today. That's the basis of the sanctions that the United States and our partners impose on Russia. It's not a desire to return to a cold war," Obama stated. The US president went on to deny claims within Russian media that sanctions allow for a "resurgent Russia," a position held by many US politicians and commentators, stating that "the Ukrainian people are more interested than ever in aligning with Europe instead of Russia." Commenting on the US approach to Cuba, Obama expressed optimism that the commercial, economic, and financial embargo against Cuba would be lifted. "For 50 years the United States pursued a Cuba policy that failed to improve the lives of the Cuban people. We changed that," the US leader said, adding that "I am confident that our Congress will inevitably lift an embargo that should not be in place anymore."