And herein lies the urgency of the problem . Andrew Kuchins : Jet 's downing must awaken U.S. , due to danger of Russia - Ukraine conflict . Focus should be on Ukraine 's ability to defend sovereignty , not Russian sanctions , he says . He says sanctions over Russia 's help to rebels will help Putin whip up nationalism . Putin : Russia needs to de - escalate crisis ; Putin ' n't allow himself to lose face .
Andrew Kuchins : Jet 's downing must awaken U.S. , due to danger of Russia - Ukraine conflict . Focus should be on Ukraine 's ability to defend sovereignty , not Russian sanctions , he says . He says sanctions over Russia 's help to rebels will help Putin whip up nationalism . Putin : Russia needs to de - escalate crisis ; Putin ' n't allow himself to lose face .