Financial Times: Preparing for Putin’s next move
Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, has demonstrated beyond doubt his determination to be ruthless in pursuit of his country’s interests in Ukraine. Yesterday the moment finally arrived for the US and EU to spell out to the Kremlin leader what the costs of his aggression must be. In the aftermath of Sunday’s referendum on independence in Crimea, there was never any doubt that the west would have to muster a firm response. The people of Crimea went to the polls at gunpoint after Russia had flooded the peninsula with its own forces. The Kremlin engineered a relentless propaganda campaign to secure a resounding vote for secession. While Russian speakers in Crimea may form the majority of the population, the resulting Yes vote of 96.77 per cent carries an air of Stalinist election techniques rather than sound democratic principles.