Russia's War Against Ukraine
OP-ED
Judy Dempsey: Some European leaders just don’t get it about Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Didier Burkhalter (L), Swiss President and chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) prior to a meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Vienna, Austria on June 24, 2014.
It was just like the good old days. On June 24, the Austrian government rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin, the Russian president.
With typical Viennese pomp and ceremony, the chief executives of Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned giant energy company, and OMV, Austria’s energy group, signed a lucrative deal to build the controversial South Stream pipeline. In addition to OMV, Gazprom’s other offshore partners in this project include Italy’s ENI, Germany’s Wintershall Holding, and France’s EDF.
