WASHINGTON — As Russian President Vladamir Putin sends troops to seize military bases and civil institutions in the Crimea area of Ukraine, U.S. President Barack Obama announced what the administration calls a "creative strategy" to ease tensions in the region.

Obama, speaking from the White House briefing room, said intervention was the key. "I'm not talking about military intervention," he said. "No, I'm talking about getting all of Putin's friends together in a room with an intervention specialist and telling him the truth about how his actions affect others."

The president added that he had spoken to other world leaders and made it clear that it required "everyone to make a serious effort to be there and show their support. This won't be easy, but together I think we can turn the situation around completely."

The Defense Department began to draw up plans early this weekend, which sources involved in the process say include President Obama, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jung-un, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and Intervention Specialist Natasha Cartwright from the Detroit Center for Violent Addition.