Putin is in it to win it

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is ultimately responsible for the bloody riots in his country. But the United States' and the European Union's incompetence in this crisis, which has endured for 12 weeks already, does not lend them much respect either, even rendering them accountable for what has been happening in the country, formerly under control of the Soviet Union.

Since gaining independence in 1991, Ukraine has been split down the middle. It has struggled to decide whether it wants to be a pro-Western Ukrainian-speaking nation, or a Moscow-allied Russian-speaking one. The battle between those two streams has peaked, and its intensity only demonstrates the extent of the polarization in Ukraine.

Since Nov. 21, when Kiev decided to strengthen economic ties with Moscow -- surprising its contacts and associates in the EU -- Ukraine has been two separate countries under one flag.

The flames in Kiev's Independence Square probably reached Sochi. There is no way Russian President Vladimir Putin mistook the fire he saw for the Olympic torch. Next Sunday, after snuffing out the torch at Sochi, Putin will endeavor to extinguish the Ukrainian blaze as well -- albeit in a much less sportsmanlike fashion.

Europe (France, Germany and Poland) has threatened sanctions. Putin, as he did during the crisis with Georgia in 2008, prefers threatening force if the situation in Kiev spirals out of control. After losing eastern Europe and the Baltic states to the West, Moscow has no intention of giving up Ukraine, which is a crucial asset in Putin's new imperialistic policy of "Euro-Asia."

The 26 victims who died in the Kiev riots on Tuesday proved the failure of Washington's and the EU's attempts to mediate. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland recently made several forays to Kiev to meet with Yanukovych.

The two camps in Ukraine today, the government and the demonstrators, do not trust the U.S. or the EU, which makes it very difficult for them to negotiate the crisis. The EU, to safeguard its credibility, decided on Wednesday to sharpen its tone. The problem of the pro-West activists in Ukraine is that, beyond the saber-rattling, they are not going to do anything. The pro-Russian camp, on the other hand, could rely on Russia to provide a lot more. That gives them an obvious advantage.

Opposition leaders in Ukraine do not have a completely clean slate in the showdown either. They failed to find a way to connect to the different streams and to devise an effective strategy against the regime.

Just as he did in the Syrian crisis and the Iranian nuclear issue, Putin is going to succeed in dictating his will in this conflict as well. He has already promised $15 billion to Ukraine, with concrete plans to transfer $2 billion. And what exactly have the Europeans or the Americans done so far for the sake of the pro-Western camp?

This whole story has left us wondering: How well has Europe been reading the map of late? Only recently, EU officials said they saw a "strategic partner" in Russia. Really-

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