Obama couldn’t be any more gullible if he tried. Putin is even denying there are Russian troops in Ukraine.

Via Telegraph:

President Barack Obama does not see Vladimir Putin as “unhinged” and believes the Russian leader can be coaxed into a deal to withdraw troops and end the Ukrainian crisis, the White House said last night.

Hours after Mr Putin made a combative appearance in Moscow where he denied Russian troops were in Crimea but left open the possibility of war with Ukraine, the US said it still believed it was possible to reach a compromise with the Russian president.

“We may be able to deescalate over the next several days and weeks, but it’s a serious situation and we’re spending a lot of time on it,” Mr Obama said Tuesday.

In a briefing at the White House, a senior US official disputed the claim that Mr Putin had taken leave of his senses, according to CNN, saying he appeared to be acting out of domestic political considerations.

The official said that in a 90-minute phone call on Saturday Mr Obama and Mr Putin were unable to agree on even basic facts about the situation in Ukraine.