When President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty last week annexing Crimea, to great fanfare in the Kremlin and anger in the West, a trusted lieutenant was making his way to Asia to shore up ties with Russia's eastern allies.
Forcing home the symbolism of his trip, Igor Sechin gathered reporters in Tokyo the next day to warn Western governments that more sanctions over Moscow's seizure of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine would be counterproductive.
The underlying message from the head of Russia's biggest oil company, Rosneft, was clear. If Europe and the United States isolate Russia, Moscow will look east for new business, energy deals, military contracts and political alliances.