This time it didn't seem to be tactical. Let me explain: often Sergey Lavrov and Vladimir Putin appear intent on playing "good cop and bad cop" when they comment on international events, the former being the diplomatic and clean face of Rossiyskaya Federatsiya and the latter the charismatic and decision-making leader of the ambitious giant Eurasian.
On Tuesday 22 February, the day after the recognition of the so-called People's Republics built in the Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Luhans'k, the Kremlin had been silent while for almost twenty-four hours the press from around the world had wondered how much of the territory occupied by the "pro-Russians" was to be considered, so to speak, covered by the Russian decision. Only the voice of Interior Minister Kolokol'cev was raised to reclaim the entire oblasts, including large and strategic cities like Mariupol, now firmly controlled by Kiev. Finally, Putin himself spoke in the evening, stating verbatim:
Well, we recognized them. And this means that we have recognized all their fundamental documents, including the constitution. And the constitution specifies the borders within the Donetsk and Luhans'k regions when they were part of Ukraine. "
Too bad that less than half a day earlier Lavrov himself had put his face on a clarification of a very different tenor:
Russia recognizes the independence of the breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine within the borders currently controlled by the Moscow-backed separatists
This clear and dry "denial" of the most authoritative and best known figure of the Russian leadership after Putin himself, is the demonstration of a confrontation between different power groups that hide behind the apparent solidity on the decision of recognition, approved by all ministers and the military at the request and before the Russian president? Let us not forget that the Russian-Armenian Lavrov is the last exponent - among the personalities at the top of Russia - of that period, between 2000 and 2007, in which Moscow seemed to approach the Alliance, also thanks to the efforts of its minister. Atlantic.
If it is a crack or just a gaffe of such an experienced politician, we will probably find out in the course of the events of the next few days.
Photo: Kremlin
