In an interview today with KNSD, President Obama ruled out any “military excursion” into the Ukraine or any attack on Russia over the nation’s annexation of Crimea, saying it “would not be appropriate.”

Obama went on to say “we do not need to trigger an actual war with Russia,” and that a war would “not be good for Ukraine either.” Rather, he said the focus was on building an international coalition to “send a clear message” to Russia.

Obama also promised “disruptive economic actions” against Russia, saying he believes the annexation of Crimea is a sign of President Putin’s “weakness” and desperation to stop neighbors getting closer to the West.

Russia has been harshly critical of the US and other NATO nations for backing the violent protests that led to regime change in Ukraine, and insists that it is protecting the ethnic Russian majority in Crimea by allowing them to hold a weekend referendum which backed accession into the Russian Federation.