Russia’s President Vladimir Putin looks on as he chairs a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, on May 7, 2014. Putin told yesteday rebels in Ukraine to halt plans for independence votes and said his troops have pulled back from the border, but his apparent change of heart received short shrift from Kiev and Washington. AFP PHOTO/ RIA-NOVOSTI/ POOL / ALEXEY DRUZHININ (Photo credit should read ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images)