Peter Gumbel, Columnist

Putin Would Be Humbler Without Toilet Paper

The European Union could easily push back against Russian aggression in Ukraine by imposing painful trade sanctions.

March 4, 2014 at 7:26 PM UTC

Peter Gumbel, a Paris-based journalist, is the author, most recently, of “France’s Got Talent: The Woeful Consequences of French Elitism.”

Can Putin survive without Farfalle? Photographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg

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Walk into a supermarket anywhere in Russia and you'll find shelf upon shelf stocked with familiar European brands, from Barilla pasta to Danone yogurt.

Under President Vladimir Putin and his predecessors, Russia has singularly failed to develop its domestic industries, and has imported ever-larger amounts of consumer goods from Europe, its top trade partner. They include Dior handbags and BMW autos, but also huge amounts of staples from toilet paper to chocolate bars.