NEWSLINK Wall Street Journal: From Putin, a New Tune on Ukraine?

Vladimir Putin’s annual call-in show is not where I usually look for important statements of Russian policy. Most of the four-hour event is devoted to semi-comical political pandering (Mr. Putin presenting himself as the friend of struggling dairy farmers, for example). Still, last week’s extravaganza contained unmistakable hints of a new line on Ukraine. To cope with Russian policy in this next phase, Western governments should be ready for a Putin who is more bored than bellicose toward Ukraine.