I was therefore at a loss as to what the fuss of a rejoinder by the Russian Embassy was, in an article that seemed to deodorise Putin more than the psychotic occupant of the White House. The article titled “We Owe Putin an Unreserved Apology” was not, despite its literal reading, a plea on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, nor an exercise in recycling “Western stereotypes” about Russia or its leadership. Invoking President Putin’s 2007 Munich Security Conference speech does not resolve this contradiction. A serious conversation about global order, double standards, and the consequences of reckless leadership deserves careful reading, not headline-level reactions. Akinnola, the Executive Director of the Centre for Free Speech, is a journalist, lawyer and author.