“No thaw but Putin still on the way into the warmth,”

“Stefan Löfven is prepared to meet with the president of Russia shows that Vladimir Putin is preparing to welcome at least in the western porch of the house.”

“This is despite the fact that he continues to fuel the deadly war in Ukraine and supports the dictator Assad in Syria.”

“But something thaw, it is not.”

“the leaders of Europe have not exactly been standing in line to meet with Putin since Russia annexed the peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine, tipped over the war in Syria to Assad’s advantage and tried to assassinate a former Russian agent on british soil.”

“for a Long time refused västledare to meet with Putin one-on-one. At the G-20 meeting in Australia in 2014 was Putin so hard that he went home early.”

“The prime minister is not the first to break the ice. But he is one of the first that was not is either at the level of Merkel or Macros or belong to any of the countries included in the now ryssvänliga group in the EU. I don’t count either in Finland with its special relationship to Russia.”

“Europe has the past year increasingly come to the conclusion that there no longer is any sense to continue with the tactic to freeze out Putin from the international community. Nothing suggests that external sanctions or cold has gotten the Russian president to change track.”

“However, a number of countries in Europe softened in their attitude to Russia. The next time the EU’s sanctions against the Kremlin to be extended so it is not at all certain that it is possible to achieve total consensus between the member states as required.”

“Hungary has always had a good eye to Putin and prime minister Orban likes to be motvalskärring within the EU.”

“Greek prime minister Tsipras has a great need of powerful friends outside the EU and belongs to them who went on a friendly visit in Moscow.”

“The new populist högerregeringarna in Italy and Austria are stated ryssvänliga and critical of the EU sanctions even if they have set up on them. They propagate that the EU must seek to bring Russia into the community again.”

“the Austrian minister for foreign affairs Karin Kneissl went so far that she was last year invited Putin to his wedding. The Russian president appeared and danced with the bride. A hunch about how the Russian president will probably be received if a few years in other parts of Europe.”

“Löfvens message to Putin”

“Therefore, there are hardly any raised eyebrows over the fact that Sweden’s prime minister meets Putin in St. Petersburg. A natural step after foreign minister Wallström 2017 met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.”

“is Decisive, however, what message Löfven has to Putin. “

“Dare he continue to put pressure on Russia to cease its involvement in the war in eastern Ukraine? He takes up again the folkrättsvidriga in the annexation of the Crimea? “

“Will there be any criticism of Russia’s role in Syria or the Russian intelligence service’s repeated actions on foreign soil? “

“Then I think not only on the attempted murder of ex-agent Sergeij Skripal, but also on Russia’s attempts to intrude in the Swedish network. “

“he Takes up the Russian stridsflygens violations of Swedish airspace?”

“Even if there is no acute threat from Russia against Sweden as they have in recent years increasingly aggressive Russian behavior in our neighborhood clearly demonstrated the potential danger that exists.”

“What for a long period take can be characterized than otherwise as a naive american attitude towards our own military defense has now crossed over in an almost exaggerated fear in which many people get it to sound like a Russian invasion is imminent. It doesn’t work.”

“In Russia’s interest, however, is that Sweden remains outside Nato. Sweden is as close to a membership it can get without formally being a part of the militäralliansen. Any change in Sweden’s status would be met by a very strong Russian reaction. Something Russia is making clear each time they get a chance.”

“Then Putin surely happier to Sweden said yes to the Russian gas pipeline nord stream II, which runs near the island of Gotland, despite fierce criticism within the EU and from the united states.”

“Putin looks every meeting with a västledare as an opportunity to dial in the wedges between the EU-countries. A divided EU is much better for Russia than a EU unified against Russian stormaktsambitioner.”