And for that I am thankful.

It's easy to say that the EU is weak; but is that necessarily a bad thing? The EU offers a package of trade and economic assistance. It tries to broker a deal between factions, is still trying (I guess) to get the winning side to maintain constitutional legality. I don't see what it could have done fundamentally better.

I was surprised that the regime caved; I suspect it was the oligarchs who pulled the plug on Yakunovich (I'm guessing they obtained a guarantee of business as usual from the opposition)

The problem is that this is a stinging defeat for Putin. His ideology and methodology are clear, there has to be a military response, unless he can somehow save face in some sort of a deal with the EU.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}