The annexation of Crimea by President Vladimir Putin of Russia raised a scare in the US and the West. But Putin’s assurance that Russia will not attack Ukraine eased the tension to some extent. It appears however that Putin has a grandiose vision of creating a greater Russia as Stalin did. It appears that he is on expansion mood according to Andrej Illarionov, the President’s Chief Economic Advisor from 2000-2005. Putin apparently seeks to create ‘historic justice’ by going back to the days of the last Czar, Nicholas II and the Soviet Union. Illarionov has warned that Russia will argue that the granting of independence to Finland in 1917 was an act of treason against national interest. Putin will grab whatever belongs to him and his predecessors. Parts of Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states and Finland are areas where he wants to assert his supremacy. Finland is not a NATO member and so a Russian invasion of the country will not be considered an attack on the alliance. The commander of the Finnish air force has stepped up the surveillance operation over the Baltic. It may be recalled that Finland was with Nazi Germany during World War II.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry has decided to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergai Lavrov to hold talks to disperse the cloud over Crimea. This is in response to a telephone call from President Vladimir Putin to President Barack Obama. But time will tell what Vladimir Putin exactly has up his sleeve.