Putin has been president of Russia for two terms – first from 2000 to 2008, then from 2012 until today. Between the two periods, he was the country’s prime minister while Dmitry Medvedev sat in the presidential chair.
And when Putin replaced Medvedev, the president had become someone else, Bildt believes. He was Prime Minister of Sweden in the period 1991–1994 and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the period 2006–2014. To Swedish The Express Bildt points to a “radical change” in Putin.
– So-called “colour revolutions” in Georgia, Ukraine and elsewhere – in addition to large demonstrations in Moscow – had created a new situation, explains the Swede.
It was then that he noticed a significant change in Putin’s behavior.
– Putin tapped into the idea of creating a new version of a Great Russian empire, which eventually led to the Ukraine crisis that started in 2013-2014, Bildt explains.
The Crimean peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Read more about Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine
[ Eksperten forutså Putins krig. Nå spår han hvordan den slutter ]
2023-09-29 11:34:52
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