White House casts Russia sanctions strategy as battle of attrition

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama calls his sanctions policy against Russia "calibrated", while his Republican rivals dismiss it a "slap on the wrist" and Russia condemns it as "illegitimate."

As the White House embarks on what experts agree is a cautious approach to penalizing Russia for its intervention in Ukraine, the strategy behind the seemingly light penalties is being cast by Obama administration officials as a slow battle of attrition, chipping away at Russian President Vladimir Putin's credibility while keeping U.S. policy in lockstep with Europe.