President Vladimir Putin does not come across as a politician who would give another sovereign state a chunk of money for free.
On the contrary, during his years at the helm of the Russian politics he has earned a reputation as a shrewd and cunning negotiator, with his role in preventing U.S. military involvement in the Syria crisis being just the most recent case in point.
When Putin told reporters gathered in the stately Kremlin Palace on Tuesday night that Russia's decision to cut the price of gas supplies to Ukraine by one-third and grant the country a $15 billion bailout "was not tied to any conditions," many observers both in Ukraine and in Russia did not believe him.
