Tue Mar 18, 2014 AT 8:34 AM EDT
Speaking to a large crowd of top Russian officials, Vladimir Putin declared Tuesday morning that Crimea is a part of Russia and that he had taken the first steps to make it official by submitting legislation to the Russian Parliament to annex the region. Putin’s declaration comes less than a day after sanctions President Obama levied on the country that former U.S. Ambassador told Newsmax were “so weak it’s embarrassing.”