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The world’s attention is focused on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has amassed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders.
Experts say President Putin may have put himself in a difficult position in trying to strengthen Russia’s influence in the world.
After weeks of silence, Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first comments on Ukraine, blaming the United States and NATO for rising tensions.
“Their (US) most important goal is to contain Russia. In this sense, Ukraine is only one tool to achieve this goal. “This can be done in a variety of ways, including dragging us into an armed conflict.”
But experts point out that it is Mr. Putin who deployed more than 100,000 Russian troops on the border with Ukraine, in Crimea and Belarus, to put pressure on NATO to withdraw some of its forces from Eastern Europe and promise not to. will never join Ukraine.
Former CIA military analyst Jeffrey Edmonds says that with this military gathering, Mr. Putin has put himself in a difficult position.
“His demands are maximalist and he knows the West can not meet them. We will not return NATO infrastructure to the levels of 1997, as is one of their demands. “So I think he is waiting for the right conditions for troops on the Ukrainian border to take military action.”
President Joe Biden says he and Mr. Putin “understand each other.” But Mr Biden has also said he believes the Russian president is planning to invade Ukraine. Some experts say Mr. Putin wants to make sure Russia is seen as a major player on the world stage.
Angela Stent is the author of the book, “Putin’s World.”
“And he believes that the rest of the world should treat Russia as if it were the Soviet Union. He does not want to bring back the Soviet Union, but he wants Russia to be treated as a great power, whose views are respected and which people fear and accept that it is Russia’s right to have its sphere of influence among its neighbors. her, ”she says.
Some experts say it is likely that Mr Putin sees eastern Ukraine, which has been embroiled in conflict since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, as part of Russia.
“I think Mr. Putin can accept that Western Ukraine is really Ukrainian and probably belongs to the European cultural and political world. “But in his eyes, eastern Ukraine is like a continuation of Russia,” said Michael Kimmage of the German Marshall Fund.
But what scares Mr. Putin the most is the discontent within Russia, says Bill Browder, founder of the Magnitsky Global Justice Campaign.
“The situation of ordinary Russian citizens is much worse than when he became president for the first time and the responsibility is all his. So he is using a common strategy for dictators: when people get angry with you, direct their anger elsewhere. “Start a war,” he said.
During his New Year’s address to the nation, Mr. Putin did not mention the widespread crackdown on his critics. His best-known opponent, Alexey Navalny, was jailed a year ago after surviving an attempt to poison him./ VOA
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