Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, shares his perspective on European politics from Seoul, South Korea.

What's the European reaction to what Mr. Putin has just announced?

Well, it's fairly obvious that Mr. Putin is under substantial pressure, from his military failures on the front line with Ukraine, and from his diplomatic failures on the global political front. And he believes that he can escalate himself out of this situation. I mean, experts don't really believe that's possible, certainly not on the diplomatic front and most probably not on the military front either. So what's happening is that he's is in a hole and he is digging. And it is not going to end well, this particular story. The European reaction, is to increase support for Ukraine.