Secretary of State John Kerry hailed to Hollywood to make clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin better listen up, and listen up good, to Ukrainians who stood fast for reform: “This is not Rocky IV,” he said.
He referenced the popular Rocky movie — which pit undersized American Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone, against Russian giant Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren — as a subtle warning for Mr. Putin to respect Ukraine’s right to govern itself.
In an interview with MSNBC, Mr. Kerry insisted: “This is not Rocky IV. Believe me. We don’t see it that way.”
Mr. Kerry’s remarks were aimed at informing Mr. Putin that the United States wasn’t regarding its relationship with Russia “as a sort of continuation of the Cold War.”
He made the remarks after Mr. Putin ordered his military to take part in a massive drill to assess its combat readiness. The drills are set for an area of Russia that borders Ukraine.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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