Bad news hit the Kremlin thick and fast last week, but on Friday evening (August 1), President Vladimir Putin answered a phone call from US President Barack Obama, who again stressed that the Kremlin’s mounting problems can be resolved diplomatically.
A Ukraine recovering from war and insisting on its European identity will be further proof of Russia’s degradation under a corrupt regime that squanders its riches and hides behind “patriotic” boasting. The West, on the other hand, cannot convince Putin that the ultimate goal of the sanctions and censure is not the downfall of his regime via the sowing and feeding of internal unrest. The Russian head of state will fight tooth and nail for his survival—but he still can be dissuaded from doing it using tanks and missiles.
