Russian President Vladimir Putin is mounting a diplomatic blitz on the sidelines of a summit of European and Asian leaders in a bid to escape Russia’s worst crisis with the West since the Cold War.
Putin on Friday will discuss Ukraine over breakfast with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and key European leaders on the sidelines of the 10th ASEM summit in Milan. He may also meet privately with Poroshenko.
The West has imposed a series of economic sanctions against Russia since its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in March and its support for a pro-Russia insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
One wonders how much Bad Vlad will be crossing his fingers behind his back while making assurances to Merkel, et al. He marches to his own drummer, and that drummer is usually preceded by a bullet or two.
In a dangerous world ridden with crisis fatigue, it would be comforting to find that sanctions alone are working in this case.
If not, we’ll always have something new to panic about tomorrow.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member