Russia's War Against Ukraine
OP-ED
Chrystia Freeland: Why #RussiaInvadedUkraine matters
Ukrainian servicemen patrol on border of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions near town of Debaltseve, on September 5, 2014. Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels agreed on September 5 on ceasefire aimed at halting nearly five months of war that plunged relations between Russia and the West into their worst crisis since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/ANATOLII STEPANOV
Last week, Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, said he could take Kiev in two weeks. This week, he disavowed a cease-fire, then proposed a peace plan. Now a cease-fire is in effect. These zigzags did their job, leaving the West confused about his intentions, just as the European Union and NATO were meeting to figure out how to counter them.
