Is There Any Point in Diplomatic Talk With Putin?
The Crimea warship spectacle may have been more sabre-rattling than real threat, but it shows the limits of engaging with Russia’s president.
Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet warships during an exercise.
Photographer: Sergei Malgavko/TASSIn the wake of the meeting between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin last week, British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace mooted the possibility of a summit between Boris Johnson and Putin — provided the Russian president ceases “malign activity.” France and Germany were hoping to resume Russia-EU summitry to reset relations with the bloc.
Wednesday’s confrontation off the coast of Crimea underscores why these copycat summits are a bad idea: Putin will likely bank the PR benefits without modifying his behavior. While there was rationale for Biden’s meeting (more on that shortly) a British or EU version does little more than burnish Putin’s image at home and reward his aggression toward and interference with Western democracies.