Putin's ambitions: Reshaping Russia's role on the world stage
Since the start of his presidency, Donald Trump has claimed that Vladimir Putin is seeking peace. European leaders, however, view the situation differently, as they don't trust either the words or the intentions of the Russian leader. What exactly is Putin seeking? - CNN explores this question in its analysis.
The Russian president has made no secret of the fact that he believes Ukraine should not exist as an independent state and he has repeatedly said he wants NATO to shrink back to its Cold War-era size. But more than anything, he wants to see a new global order — and he wants Russia to play the starring role in it - according to CNN's analysis.
Putin and some of his closest associates emerged from the remnants of the KGB. They have never forgotten the humiliation of the USSR after its collapse and are dissatisfied with the developments in the world since then.
Does Putin want to restore Russia to its USSR-era position?
CNN recalls that in the 1990s, when the Russian economy collapsed, it had to be rescued by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Since 2000, when Putin became president, steadily rising oil prices have made Russia and many Russians wealthier than ever before. Russia was invited to join the G7 group of the world's largest economies - then renamed G8. However, that's not enough for Putin.
- It (Russia - ed.) is the largest country in the world, the richest in (natural) resources, so how can it simply be one of the players? - explains Putin's line of thought Kristine Berzina, managing director of the American NGO German Marshall Fund.
Putin and his associates have made it clear that their long-term goals have not changed. Even when they talk about wanting peace, Russian officials still claim it will be possible when the "root causes" of the conflict in Ukraine are "eliminated."
Does he want to drive a wedge between Europe and the USA?
According to the Kremlin, the "root causes" are Ukraine's sovereignty and its democratically elected President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as NATO's eastward expansion over the last 30 years.
- For the Kremlin, it’s not a war with Ukraine, it’s a war with the West, and a lot of people in Moscow don’t really believe that they can get any kind of lasting agreement with the US - said Andrei Soldatov, a Russian investigative journalist and security expert living in London, in an interview with CNN. - They really believe that the West has been after the complete destruction and subjugation of Russia for centuries. It’s not just propaganda, they really, really believe in this - he adds, referring to Putin and his closest circle. He admits they take this matter extremely personally because they remember the collapse of the USSR, which they perceived as a great humiliation.
According to Monika White, an assistant professor in the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies at the University of Nottingham, Putin wants to restore Russia's leading position on the world stage by driving a wedge between Europe and the USA and cooperating with other opponents of the West.
She believes that the Russian leader thinks Russia - the largest country in the world by area - should be involved in governing the world. He might have a like-minded man in the White House. Trump has made it clear that he believes the biggest and most powerful countries should get what they want – whether it’s Greenland, the Panama Canal, or a chunk of Ukraine - according to CNN.
