US President Barack Obama visited the National Mosque of Malaysia on Sunday morning as he pursued his tour of Asia.

But throughout the four-nation trip, events in Ukraine are never far away from the agenda.

More sanctions against Moscow are being
announced, possibly as early as Monday, but what of broader punitive measures targeting Russia’s economy?

For the US president, a united front with Europe is crucial.

“The notion that for us to go forward with sectoral sanctions on our own, without the Europeans, would be the most effective deterrent to Mr Putin, I think it is factually wrong,” Obama told a news conference.

“We are going to be in a stronger position to deter Mr Putin when he sees that the world is unified and the United States and Europe is unified rather than this is just a US-Russian conflict.”

Outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur, dozens of protesters denounced a planned trade deal that would link a dozen Asia-Pacific economies including Malaysia and the US.

Obama has also pledged stronger bilateral ties and offered more American help in searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777.