http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-11-18/merkel-is-playing-long-ball-with-putin

As a Russian who, thanks to Putin's policies, can't imagine a future in Russia, I take these e-mails to heart. I would like Putin's regime to fall and be replaced with a liberal, pro-European government that would put Russia on a convergence path with the European Union. I don't condone Putin's actions in Ukraine, starting with the annexation of Crimea and continuing with his support for separatist goons in Donetsk and Luhansk.

Still, baiting Putin isn't the right thing to do.

And that's what German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had the longest meeting with the Russian president at the G-20, thinks, too.

...

Merkel's determination to dig in for the long haul means Western leaders don't have a quick solution to the Ukraine crisis. That makes baiting Putin especially counterproductive: There may be a bigger crisis to resolve down the road, and solutions will be as limited as they are now. That's why Merkel is maintaining a respectful, if tense, dialogue with the aggressor, looking for an opening to achieve something that will work faster than economic pressure.

That is true leadership. Jibes and jeers are just cheap politicking.