Heavily dependent on Russian energy, the EU had a lot to lose from a protracted economic struggle with its eastern neighbor. The zeal for sanctions in Europe after the MH17 tragedy was an exception, not the norm. In the end, the West’s caution proved a costly error. It allowed Russia to absorb the initial shock of sanctions and then carry on much as it had before. It gave Putin the chance to partially rehabilitate his country without doing anything to reverse the damage he had inflicted upon Ukraine. And it ultimately reinforced Putin’s view that the West was weak and unwilling to bear the
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