To the editor:

Russia’s President Putin has egg on his face and it was probably imported from Holland or Denmark. But he needs more than a napkin. He needs to explain how sanctions that cut off food imports and cause higher food prices and scarcity will benefit Russian consumers while they cause only slight disturbance to the countries that can no longer ship needed produce to Russia. How ridiculous!

But, the main point revealed by his action is the simple fact that Russia still can’t feed itself 23 years after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Russia spans seven times zones and stretches from vast northern forests to the palm fringed Black Sea. There is ample arable land and climate variation to allow Russia to feed itself. Wasn’t Russia a major grain exporter when Catherine the Great was on the throne?

Putin’s actions revealed a major flaw in Russian agriculture. He should send the 20,000 troops massed on the Ukraine border home to help with the harvest and get the soil ready for next spring. Why do despots that can’t raise the standard of living of their own citizens think it is their destiny to run roughshod over their neighbors?