The tanking Russian economy seems to be doing little to encourage President Vladimir Putin to repair relations with the West. In fact, Putin is slipping deeper into a revisionist Cold War mindset, sending the worst East-West standoff in decades into a potentially more dangerous phase. With Russia's economy on the verge of collapse, Putin could have used his annual marathon news conference on Thursday to show flexibility over Ukraine and to raise the prospect of relief from Western sanctions. But instead, in powerful  rhetoric, he dug in, comparing Russia to a "bear" that the United States and its allies are determined to chain down before ripping out "its teeth and claws."
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Putin's annual press conference spikes tensions
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Russian leader doubles down despite economic crunch
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Obama under pressure at home to take harder line
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That's a problem for President Barack Obama, who is holding a year-end press conference on Friday at which global issues like the tension with @placeholder will likely come up.
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They reason the economic crunch could turn Russia's middle classes against @placeholder despite his current popularity, or prompt oligarchs cut off from Western banks to force his hand.
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@placeholder officials and western Russian experts are also anxious about Putin's state of mind.
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"That's one of the reasons why world leaders do continue to reach out and talk to appropriate @placeholder interlocutors," the official said.
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@placeholder, already beset by foreign policy problems, has no desire for a new Cold War and says Russia's actions are simply not in its own interests.
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Obama, already beset by foreign policy problems, has no desire for a new @placeholder and says Russia's actions are simply not in its own interests.
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Obama, already beset by foreign policy problems, has no desire for a new Cold War and says @placeholder's actions are simply not in its own interests.