Putin’s sinister kindness

"...the Russian president made sensational statements about Ukraine. On the one hand, the old mantra about the "one people" was repeated, but on the other hand, Putin began talking about "normalizing relations" between Russia and Ukraine after "settling Donbas issues" and the Kremlin's lack of interest in freezing the conflict. The rhetoric has changed dramatically - no more "massacres", Donbas is called by its name, not "southeastern Ukraine", and, most importantly, no more "republics"."