01-16-2009, 09:55 PM
<b>Putin Reaps Praise at Home for Freezing Ukraine </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putinâs standoff with Ukraine over supplies of natural gas may have angered European Union leaders and denied heat to millions; at home, itâs winning him plaudits.
In turning off gas supplies to Ukraine and Europe, Putin showed Russians that he is in charge as a recession looms, and that the West must treat him as a key player in global energy. He also is pushing for higher long-term revenue for state- controlled OAO Gazprom, and has damaged West-leaning Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.
<b>âThe more they criticize Putin abroad and the more they fight with Russia, the greater his political weight grows,â</b> said Mikhail Delyagin, an economic adviser to former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and director of the Institute for Globalization Studies in Moscow.
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In turning off gas supplies to Ukraine and Europe, Putin showed Russians that he is in charge as a recession looms, and that the West must treat him as a key player in global energy. He also is pushing for higher long-term revenue for state- controlled OAO Gazprom, and has damaged West-leaning Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.
<b>âThe more they criticize Putin abroad and the more they fight with Russia, the greater his political weight grows,â</b> said Mikhail Delyagin, an economic adviser to former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and director of the Institute for Globalization Studies in Moscow.
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