Putin gets tough

There are few phrase as laden with threat in modern Ireland than Gerry Adams’ infamous and revealing “they haven’t gone away you know.” 

Leaving aside questions that sneer raises about loyalties and credibility, it is a reminder that some problems linger.

One of those is the simmering crisis in Ukraine. Pushed from the top of the news list by Isis and ebola, Russian president Vladimir Putin got Europe’s attention before yesterday’s summit in Milan by playing the energy card. In a world where realpolitik always wins, it would be naivety on the scale that imagined Russia would allow Ukraine strengthen links with Europe and Nato, and that it might forego Crimea, to think this trump card might go unused.

Mr Putin also warned of the danger of discord between nuclear powers. He also suggested that it was time to resolve all outstanding issues peacefully. Let us hope he, and those representing Western interests, have a better grasp of what is at stake than those who encouraged Ukraine to challenge geopolitical realities that have prevailed for centuries.