Dorcha Lee: Will Vladimir Putin opt for Russian tanks or French diplomacy?

If diplomatic talks between Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron fail to broker an agreement, then Putin has two important objectives in the Crimea area if he decides to invade Ukraine, writes defence analyst Dorcha Lee

Russian President Vladimir Putin likes to play mind games with his adversaries. Photo: Carl Court via AP

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, likes to play mind games with his adversaries, to get them off guard and disrupt their concentration. 

He did it at his meeting in Moscow, in July 2017, with German chancellor Angela Merkel, by bringing his black Labrador dog, Koni, into the room. Ms Merkel has had a deep fear of dogs since childhood and was quite tense and distracted throughout the meeting.