The U.S. State Department's Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker has said Russian President Vladimir Putin did not expect such a robust response from the West to his actions against Ukraine.

Putin expected that the reaction of the West to his actions in Ukraine would be insignificant. In the case with Crimea he was right - there was no significant reaction. There were certain sanctions, but they did not have much power. It was only when the Russian occupation touched eastern Ukraine that the West responded and the attitude of many countries of Western Europe towards Russia changed, Volker said during the discussion dedicated to the anniversary of the Russian-Georgian war, the U.S.-government funded Voice of America reported.

Volker said Western countries realized that they can no longer ignore Russian aggression and must oppose it.

Such a policy has been going on for more than four years and I think that this was unexpected for Russia. The sanctions had a deterrent effect, Volker said.

Volker said Russia is starting to understand that one cannot be an empire and have good relations with neighbors simultaneously.

The Georgian lesson influenced the war in Ukraine: Russia felt that it could …. use military force on foreign territory and interfere in the management of other countries, Volker said.

If Russia occupies Ukrainian territory and annexes Crimea, we should say: No, it does not work, you will not achieve success. The result will be sanctions, isolation from the United States and the European Union. This will affect Russian interests. You simply cannot continue to do this. We need to find a solution, how Russia can come to peace and understanding with an independent Ukraine and resolve the conflict, Volker said.