EU commissioner for Expansion: The international community underestimated Russia

At a security conference in Prague, EU Commissioner for Expansion Stephan Fule said the international community had seriously underestimated Russia. Mr. Fule said the EU and its allies in the democratic world should have been warned of the dangers when Russian President Vladimir Putin said the disintegration of the Soviet Union was the worst disaster of the 20th century or when he described Ukraine as an “artificial” state. Former EU commissioner for labour Vladimír Špidla noted that it was rather surprising that Russia, which annexed Crimea heedless of international protests, was still a member of the UN Security Council.