Moscow, Russia. Four days after Kosovo officially declared independence from Serbia, Putin called Georgian President Saakashvili to Moscow and told him: “We have to answer to the West about the Kosovo issue, you know. We’re very sorry, but you are part of the answer. It’s not Georgia’s fault, but your geography is what it is.” Soon after, Russia would occupy Abkhazia and South Ossetia, regions of Georgia with a large Russian-speaking community, and establish strong economic, political, and legal ties with these regions.
