We tolerated Putin — until he became intolerable

Western values. The free world. The liberal order. Barely an eyebrow is raised when such puffed-chest language and inane categorisation slips out of the mouths of political leaders and slides into the columns of major newspapers

However repressive his regime, Vladimir Putin was tolerated by the US, the EU and Britain — until he became intolerable. Photo: Andrei Gorshkov

Six days after Vladimir Putin ordered his soldiers into Ukraine, Joe Biden gave his first State of the Union address. His focus was inevitable. 

“While it shouldn’t have taken something so terrible for people around the world to see what’s at stake, now everyone sees it clearly,” the US president said.