The West has, to my regret, subscribed to an “uncontrollable but influenceable” interpretation of Russia's role in the Ukraine conflict. Angela Merkel (along with President Obama) has called repeatedly on Putin “to use his influence” on Ukrainian rebels to end the conflict, to which Putin repliesin fake innocence that he wants a peaceful Ukraine on his borders. The West embraces the notion of “uncontrollable but influenceable” as a convenient excuse for not taking action against Russian aggression, other than through economic sanctions and words.
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