You are agreeing with me. You say it ‘was not significant enough’ and I’d say you are correct. They let Putin off the hook with some sanctions in 2014, but the core business arrangements remained intact.
This year he ‘crossed the rubicon’ with his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Despite all the economic pain involved, Europe has now set about severing their attachment to Russian fossil fuels. It’s not what Putin wanted at all. He wanted a short and short ‘special military operation’, a quick regime change in Ukraine to a pro-Russian puppet, and a swift resumption in business dealings with Europe.
