Putin tones down rhetoric

YALTA, Crimea – Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to a much-hyped meeting in Crimea amid expectations of more saber-rattling over Ukraine, but he instead struck a conciliatory note and called for peace in a speech Thursday that received surprisingly brief coverage on Russian television.

Putin’s cautious statements and the terse reports in state media could signal a Kremlin desire to de-escalate the worst crisis in Russia-West relations since the Cold War.

Contrary to the long-established pattern of broadcasting key Putin speeches live and covering them prominently in every news program throughout the day, Russian state television stations had no live feed from Yalta and buried the event deep in their programs, only showing Putin with a voiceover.

Associated Press