CNBC quotes Brent Scowcroft Center Senior Fellow Ian Brzezinski on Russia’s ability to withstand economic sanctions in the wake of the invasion of Crimea:
Ian Brzezinski, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council who focuses on trans-Atlantic security, said he believes that the Russian economy can probably handle absorbing Crimea, adding that Putin is less concerned with economic priorities than he is with projecting an air of Russian strength.
“Putin is not concerned about costs, but about Russian national greatness,” Brzezinski said.