Is Juncker in danger of becoming Putin’s “useful idiot”?

His visit will not help Russia’s relationship with the West, will do nothing to resolve the ongoing Ukraine crisis, and could even split the European Union, according to Ian Bond, the director of foreign policy at the London-based Centre for European Reform think-tank. It will certainly deliver the Russian leader another propaganda coup, he says...

...“This is a really bad move by Juncker. It is really ill-timed,” Mr Bond said, dismissing the 16-18 June St Petersburg International Forum as “a fundraiser for the Russian economy” rather than a serious conference. “For Juncker to go is exactly the message you should not send. This event is a gathering of cheerleaders for Russia, not a place where respectable politicians should be seen.”