These days, as never before, my thoughts are drawn toward the impressive and controversial figure of Russia¡¯s president, Vladimir Putin. There is no doubt that, for the time being, this person is playing a key role both in Russian events and in world affairs.
Some months ago, unexpectedly for the international political and diplomatic circles, it was Putin who proposed a solution to the stockpiling and use of chemical weapons in Syria ¡ª no matter how palliative and temporary this solution might turn out.
A little later he managed to ¡°persuade¡± Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych to freeze ¡ª most probably, once again temporarily ¡ª the cooperation agreement with the European Union, a step at least partly taken in exchange for a $15 billion credit needed by this ¡°brother¡± country struggling against a severe budget crisis.
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