Meanwhile, aging central Asian dictators have died or stepped aside, Russian President Vladimir Putin has weathered oligarchs, dissidents and sanctions, and neighboring Ukraine has seen two revolutions and a civil war. But this weekend's two phone calls with Putin -- the first sought by Lukashenko after days of unprecedented protest following a highly contested presidential election and police violence -- mark a turning point. And it is one fraught with a geopolitical risk significantly bigger than the attention the crisis is currently getting in European capitals and inside the Beltway. In their Saturday call, the two autocrats agreed to "regular contacts at various levels and the disposition to strengthen allied relations." Putin could decide the insertion of little green men seen in Ukraine, or even Russian uniformed troops or police, would settle finally his control of the vital neighbor.

Source: CNN August 16, 2020 13:41 UTC