I think this is worth listening to. I’ve put notes below. It’s not in essay format, just what I found significant as I was listening.
Whatever you think of Putin, at least he’s educated and speak in complete sentences and has a historical understanding (whether you agree with it or not.) He makes Trump and Biden look like the idiots they are.
In fact, Putin makes almost every Western leader look like an ill-educated moron. Orban is an exception. This isn’t a political judgment. I don’t much like Putin, but I can respect him. I can’t respect Biden, Trump, Sunak, Scholz, Macron, Von Der Leyen or my own PM, Trudeau.
Fuck, I’m loving this history lesson from Putin “oh, and here are copies of the historical documents, showing I’m not making this up.”
And Tucker’s expression, looking at Putin is hilarious. Absolutely “WTF, why is he giving me this history lesson.” How many politicians has he interviewed over the years, and this erudite (though really very much a skim) disquisition is alien to him.
Tucker’s kind of stupid, “but we have a strong China the West isn’t very afraid of”. I mean, WTF?
Putin’s point that Russia in 90s and much of the 00s wanted to be part of the West, desperately so, is entirely accurate by my memory and I was around.
Russia /should/ have been turned into a Western ally, and if it had been, China would be /much/ less of a threat. But our politicians (I won’t call them statesman, the last US statesman was James Baker) were fools.
And yes, the war against Serbia was the first great break in Russia’s trust of the West and that the West would obey international law. If Serbia can be broken up, well, why not other countries?
And yes, I remember that Russia asked to join NATO. What a different world that would be.
Pointing out that the US exerts pressure and Western countries obey, which is usually true, and has become more true.
Under Bush, the CIA confirms they are working to support the Chechen rebellion. Of course, Putin and Russia don’t like that.
And then the missile defense system, Putin offers to make it a multilateral defense system which is supposedly against Iran. America refuses.
Russia points out that if they aren’t in the missile defense system, they’ll have to find a way to overwhelm the new defense system–which they did: hypersonic missiles.
And, of course, NATO expansion makes the Russians feel unsafe, which, of course it does, when they won’t let Russia join NATO.
And the point that you can’t make a deal with Europeans, because they will bow to American pressure. But you can’t make a deal with America, because they won’t keep their word.
And Georgia and Ukraine joining NATO is a no go for Russia.
Talking about the coup-d’etas in Ukraine. Which, of course, there was and I said so at the time.
Ukraine can’t have a free trade agreement with both Russia and the EU at the same time since Russian market would be flooded. (Yeah, 100%. Would have been a disaster for Russia. Plus a route for operatives to infiltrate Russia easily though Putin doesn’t say that.)
Russia tells Yanukovich not to use armed force, because US agrees to calm down Maidan. But US doesn’t keep their deal, force is used by Maidan, and the coup happens.
The Ukrainian attacks on Donetsk are the main break point to Putin.
But also, gaurantees against the coup were ignored by the European countries. Again, a loss of trust. Can’t make a deal with the West, especially Europe.
NATO in Ukraine is the red line. (Which is what I always said.)
Then breaking the Minsk agreements. Again, the West and Ukraine won’t keep agreements with Russia.
From Putin’s POV he didn’t start the war in 2022. The war was ongoing, Minsk agreement broken, Donetsk under constant attack. He intervened, yes, but the war was already ongoing.
(Not unreasonable. I warned at the time and indeed for decades that this would happen.)
This Putin/Carlson interview is super embarassing to the West. I literally can’t think of a Western leader today who could lay out a case like this, coherently and intelligently. We are ruled by imbeciles.
I mean, I don’t agree with a lot of Russian policy, or how they’re going social conservative. But goddamn, Putin makes our leaders look like incompetents.
Putin claims that he withdrew from Kiev at western request, as a requirement for making a peace deal. As soon as the Russians did, the West ended the peace talks.
Nasty if true and yet another, never trust these fucks and impose a peace by winning the war.
Unfortunately, I find this credible. I don’t know if it’s true, but I believe Putin more than UK PM Johnson or Biden.
Putin: Ukraine’s national identity is based around glorification of Nazi collaborators as heroes, and de-Nazification means ending this national identity.
De-Nazification would be done by making Nazi and Neo-Nazism illegal in Ukraine, in the peace treaty, per Putin.
Putin hasn’t talked directly to Biden since the start of the war and sees no reason to do so.
Putin: US blew up Nord Stream: motive and ability.
Putin: Germany’s leaders are not looking after Germany’s interests primarily.
World should be safe for everyone, not just the “golden billion”.
Using dollar as weapon is one the biggest strategic mistakes of the US. (Putin)
US dollar as trade/reserve dollar, allows US inflation under control, and damaging it by using it as sanctions is a grave mistake. Even US allies are downsizing dollar reserves.
Until 2022, 80% of Russian trade was in US dollars. Now 13%.
Denies fear of Chinese economic power. China’s foreign policy is not aggressive, but looks for compromise. China/Europe economic cooperation is growing faster than China/Russia cooperation.
Bilateral trade with China is 230 billion, and is well balanced. 1992 G7 – 47% of trade, now a little over 30%. Brics only 16%, now higher than G7.
US does not understand the world is changing and does not adapt because of conceit. Trying to resist with force is failing and will fail.
President does not matter, what matters is the elite mindset. As long as American elites believe in domination at any costs the US cannot adapt.
Largest number of sanctions in the world are against Europe and at the same time Russia became 5th largest world economy and the 1st largest in Europe.
Russia can’t really understand the power centers and elections in the US.
US never seems to cooperate, but always to use pressure. In relation to US, cold war elites just kept doing the same thing, and assuming they could win the same way against China as they had against the USSR.
Definitely thinks the US deliberately provoked the Russian invasion. They controlled Ukraine and Ukraine ignore Minsk, talking about joining NATO and attacking Russians in Donetsk/Luhansk and discriminating against Russians in Ukraine.
Believes Zelensky was scared of neo-Nazis when he took charge, and realized the West supported the Neo-Nazis.
Weird series of questions on religion, like “do you see God in human history today”.
Putin: history has its laws and rhythms. Rise and fall.
Some talk on genetic sciences and AI as a threat.
Musk and others involved in AI and genetics need to be regulated.
This should be done by an international treaty.
Russia is willing to negotiate, it is the West who is refusing to negotiation: Ukraine is under US control.
Ukraine cannot defeat Russia strategically, even with NATO support, so it only makes sense to negotiate.
Putin: I know they want to negotiate, but they don’t know how to do so. But it will happen sooner or later.
The war is particular tragic, because to Putin, Ukraine and Russia are still a single civilization with a single soul.
Final Commentary: As I said at the start, Putin makes most Western leaders look like dunces. He can discuss history, economy and politics fluently. He has numbers and dates and analogies at his fingertips.
And yes, as far as I’m concerned, Russia was treated incompetently by the West. They could easily have been made into Western allies, effectively a part of Europe. Moving NATO forward was obviously a threat to Russia when Russia had been promised it wouldn’t happen and when Russia even offered to join NATO.
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