Voice of America quotes Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center Director John Herbst on the one year anniversary of Crimea’s annexation and Russia’s new narrative on the events surrounding the annexation:
“Putin thinks the annexation was an unvarnished success and he’s using that to pump up his reputation with the Russian people,” said John Herbst, director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, who served as US ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006.
“He’s also sending a message of contempt for the West by peeling away the obfuscation because he knows the truth won’t hurt him,” he said.
[…]
“Putin likely won’t allow Ukraine to develop in peace. He will continue to commit fresh aggression because he wants to destabilize the country. If his does that the sanctions will stay,” Herbst said.
“A lot of this depends on whether the West pursues the right policy. We’ve done more than Putin thought we would,” he said.