Russia** said he would warn himself not to trust the West.
Russia**Vladimir Putin admitted that he should not have placed so much trust in Washington and its allies during his first term, calling it "naïve". Speaking at a major press conference on Thursday, he said he should have full confidence in the Russian people.
When asked by reporters what advice he would give to his younger self more than 20 years ago, Putin said that he would first admonish himself not to be "overly gullible" in relations with "our so-called partners" (a term he has used many times). When he describes the collective West.
* stated that "it is necessary to believe in the great Russian people, because this belief is the basis for the success of Russia's revival and development." ”
Putin also gave a positive assessment of his political trajectory 20 years ago, saying that he usually told his younger self: "Comrade, you are on the right path." This popular adage is often considered to be the Russian revolutionary and the first Soviet leader, Vladimir Lenin.
Putin, who came to power in 2000, tried to maintain good relations with the West in the first years of his tenure. According to a 2019 book by George Bibby, a former senior analyst at the Intelligence Agency, he warned then-US George Bush of an impending terrorist attack a few days before 9/11.
Putin was also the first leader to call Bush to express his condolences after the attack. However, in the following years, Washington unilaterally withdrew from the Tract Missile Treaty, a major arms control treaty that restricts systems used to intercept nuclear missiles. The agreement is seen as a way to alleviate the need to create more nuclear ** pressure to maintain mutual deterrence. In 2001, the United States withdrew from the treaty, which Moscow considered a major blow not only to its own security, but also to the security of the world.
Since withdrawing from the treaty, Washington has expanded its missile defense system to Eastern Europe. Moscow has repeatedly warned that Tomahawk missiles could be used to attack Russia or its allies.
In 2004, NATO expanded significantly eastward to include most of the Central and Eastern European countries that were former members of the Warsaw Pact, as well as the Baltic states of the three former Soviet republics.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that it considers the group's advance towards its borders a threat. It also repeatedly states that the West promised Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, that the bloc led by the United States would not expand further eastward. Putin has repeatedly stated that these promises were subsequently violated.
In 2007, Russia** made headlines for his famous Munich speech, in which he announced a major overhaul of Russian foreign policy, slammed the unipolar world controlled by Washington as "unacceptable," and warned the United States and its allies of an increasing disregard for international law.