For this mess we can thank Bill Clinton and George Bush, who had and have identical policies that encouraged and encourage establishment of the Islamofascist terrorist statelet known as “Kosovo.” Creating that monstrosity is and was bad enough, but bad goes to frightful when the Russian part of the equation is brought in. Russia went to war in 1914 against Austria-Hungary to protect the sovereignty of Serbia, plunging the west into WWI. In the Kosovo situation Russia had an entirely legitimate interest in protecting Serbia from being torn asunder by Islamofascist sympathizing do gooders. Indeed, that gratuitous insult to Russia is possibly a significant reason for out present bad relationship with Russia. The only “benefit” we’ve received is a virulent pustule, Kosovo, in the middle of Europe.
while i agree with your assessment and disagree wholeheartedly with the policies of Clinton and Bush on the “Kosovo” matter, the fact remains that Putin/Russia’s options are limited.
Outside of moving around some military hardware, Putin is not in a position to change the equation from a military standpoint. Now, he could apply pressure in several different spots to see if we’ll budge