Vladimir Putin sheds light on Russia's complex relationship with the West following the collapse of the Soviet Union, detailing aspirations for collaboration with Presidents Clinton and Bush, concerns about NATO expansion, a CIA-backed coup in Ukraine, the Minsk Agreements, and the onset of the War in Ukraine in 2014.
Russia's Post-Soviet Optimism
Putin revisited the Soviet Union's dissolution, emphasizing Russia's initial hope for collaboration with the West. He highlighted Russia's voluntary acceptance of the Soviet Union's collapse, expecting the "civilized West" to view it as an invitation for cooperation. Putin recalled Russian President Boris Yeltsin's praised speech in front of the United States Congress, famously saying, "God Bless America," while expressing optimism for acceptance by the West.
Putin's Missile Shield Plan
In 2007, Putin proposed a joint U.S.-Russia-Europe missile defense system to President George W. Bush. While the U.S. claimed to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe to counter threats from Iran, Putin suggested a collaborative approach to avoid threatening Russia's security. Despite initial interest, Putin's proposal was rejected, leading to Russia's development of hypersonic missile systems.
"I suggested working together: Russia, the United States, and Europe. They said it was very interesting. They asked me, "Are you serious?" I said, "Absolutely". I said, "Just imagine if we could settle such a global strategic security challenge together. The world will change. We'll probably have disputes, probably economic and even political ones. But we could drastically change the situation in the world." He says "Yes, and asks, "Are you serious? I said, "Of course". "We need to think about it." I said, "Go ahead, please."
Putin describes how Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited him in Moscow in 2007 to decline his proposal. In response, Putin explained that Russia would be forced to take countermeasures.
"We are now ahead of everyone, the United States and the other countries in terms of the development of hypersonic strike systems. And we are improving them every day. But it wasn't us. We proposed to go the other way, and we were pushed back. Now, about NATO's expansion to the east. Well, we were promised no NATO to the east, not an inch to the east, as we were told. And then what? They said, well, it's not enshrined on paper, so we'll expand. So, there were five waves of expansion. The Baltic states, the whole of Eastern Europe, and so on."
NATO Expansion Concerns
Putin describes Russia's grievances regarding NATO's eastward expansion, emphasizing the breach of promises made during earlier negotiations. He recounted the diplomatic efforts to dissuade NATO from encroaching on Russia's borders, illustrating a growing rift in relations, particularly in the aftermath of NATO bombing Yugoslavia in violation of the United Nations charter.
Putin recalled asking President Bill Clinton about Russia joining NATO. After initially expressing interest, Clinton said it would be impossible after he spoke to his advisors. Putin also mentioned the CIA's involvement in supporting opposition parties in Russia.
"The promise was that NATO would not expand eastward. But it happened five times. There were five waves of expansion. We tolerated all that. We were trying to persuade them. We were saying, please don't... We are a market economy, and there is no Communist Party power. Let's negotiate."
"In 2008, at the summit in Bucharest, they declared that the doors for Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO were open. Germany, France, and other European countries seemed to be against it. But then, as I was told later, President Bush exerted pressure, and they had to agree. It's ridiculous. It's like kindergarten. What kind of people are these? We're ready to talk, but with whom? Where are the guarantees? None. So they started to develop the territory of Ukraine."
CIA's Role in Ukraine
Putin took a deep dive into the Ukrainian crisis, particularly the contentious events surrounding the Orange Revolution in 2004 and Viktor Yanukovych's removal from power during the Maidan Revolution in 2014. He asserts that the United States, with a particular focus on the CIA and State Department, played a significant role in the 2014 Ukrainian crisis, characterizing it as a coup orchestrated with American backing.
Putin explained that Germany, Poland, and France signed an agreement between Yanukovych and the opposition that would guarantee a peaceful resolution through an early election. Putin criticized the decision to resort to violence instead of allowing an early election, asserting that the CIA's actions were a political miscalculation.
"He had no chance of winning, frankly speaking. Everyone knew that. Then, why the coup? Why the victims? Why threaten Crimea? Why launch an operation in Donbas? This I do not understand. That is exactly what the miscalculation is. CIA did its job to complete the coup. I think one of the deputy secretaries of state said that they cost a large sum of money. Almost 5 billion. But the political mistake was colossal. Why would they have to do that? All this could have been done legally, without victims, without military action, and without the loss of Crimea. We would have never considered even lifting the finger if it hadn't been for the bloody developments on Maidan."
"The armed opposition committed a coup in Kiev. With the back of the CIA, of course. They have always been our opponents. A job is a job. Technically, they did everything right. They achieved their goal of changing the government. However, from a political standpoint, it was a colossal mistake. Surely, it was political leadership's miscalculation. They should have seen what it would evolve into."
War in Donbas 2014
Putin discusses the events leading to the 2014 War in Ukraine, attributing it to NATO's open doors for Ukraine in 2008, the subsequent coup, and the persecution of those opposing it.
"In 2008, the doors of NATO were opened for Ukraine. In 2014, there was a coup. They started persecuting those who did not accept the coup. They created the threat to Crimea, which we had to take under our protection. They launched the war in Donbas in 2014 with the use of aircraft and artillery against civilians. This is when it all started. There's a video of aircraft attacking Donetsk from above."
"They launched a large-scale military operation. All this against the background of the military development of this territory and the opening of NATO's doors. How could we not express concern over what was happening? From our side, this would have been a culpable negligence."
"We addressed the leadership of the United States and European countries to stop these developments immediately and implement the Minsk agreements."
The Minsk Agreements
Putin explained that current tensions result from Ukraine's leadership's refusal to implement the 2014-signed Minsk agreements. He highlighted Ukraine's reluctance to adhere to the agreements, with leaders openly declaring their refusal. Putin also mentioned former German and French leaders admitting to signing the agreements without intending to implement them. Despite the complexity, Putin expressed readiness to implement the agreements, criticizing Ukraine for favoring a military solution and accusing them of starting the war in 2014.
"It was they who started the war in 2014. Our goal is to stop this war. And we did not start this war in 2022. This is an attempt to stop it."
Why did the United States and the West refuse to collaborate with Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union?
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