Timothy L. O'Brien, Columnist

Which Sanctions Would Hurt Putin the Most?

In an interview, Stephen Kotkin, a professor of Russian history, explains how the West can uphold its principles in a practical way.

February 23, 2022 at 1:45 PM UTC

By Timothy L. O'Brien

Timothy L. O'Brien is senior executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion. A former editor and reporter for the New York Times, he is author of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald.”

Will he pay the cost of sanctions?
Photographer: Sergei Guneyev/TASS

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Stephen Kotkin is a professor of history and international affairs at Princeton University and the author of several books, including a multi-volume biography of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. In a recent interview, Kotkin and I discussed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s designs on Ukraine and whether economic and financial sanctions might deter him. Here is a lightly edited transcript of our conversation.

Tim O’Brien: Were you surprised by Putin’s rambling speech on Monday that painted Ukraine as a Soviet creation with no right to independence?