might be called "normal trade" from trade that has significant security implications, particularly military and energy,

On the military side, France, for a variety of reasons, contracted to sell two helicopter-type carriers to Russia. Those ships would pose a significant threat in the Baltic. France is understandably reluctant to cancel the contract as the jobs of workers at its shipyards are in the balance, and unemployment is currently a key factor in France. France should not be required to shoulder the entire burden of cancellation. Instead, as the ships could provide a valuable addition to NATO's capability, there should be agreement at the NATO summit in September to purchase them for the alliance as a whole. Spread over time, the impact on NATO's budget would be manageable; the geopoliticalin a multipolar world. Beyond energy, key international issues involving Russia include nuclear security, the Iranian nuclear negotiations, central Asian stability, counter-terrorism, the Arctic, cyber security, and the Syrian civil war. Western diplomacy will not succeed by ignoring Russia, but forward movement will be based on common interests rather than common values. To be sure, there will be an understandable desire not to seem to validate President Putin's annexation of Crimea, but current—and possible future--diplomatic and economic sanctions should respond to Ukraine issues while global requirements will benefit from an eyes-open, interest–based approach.

All strategy is subject to adjustments, and future events in Ukraine necessarily will be critical to the West's strategy toward Russia. While the presidential election was generally successful, separatists did disrupt voting in the eastern part