...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...in the Crimea crisis.
"This aggressive striving for power with regard to Ukraine represents not only a danger for the Ukrainian state -- other parts of eastern Europe are also in danger," she told German daily Der Tagesspiegel.
"Should Putin continue his attack on our country after the annexation of Crimea, I would call on the leaders of the democratic world to use the strongest measures to stop this aggressor."
She said the West should under no circumstances accept the result of Sunday's referendum in Crimea on breaking away from Ukraine to join Russia.
"It is without precedent in recent history and such methods used by Russia in Crimea were no longer considered possible by many in the West," she said.