Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “rational actor” who misjudged his ability to invade Ukraine and oppress its people. President Joe Biden said this in an exclusive interview for CNN, quoted by dnes.bg.
“I think he’s a rational player who has gone terribly wrong,” Biden told Jake Tapper, as the Russian bombing of civilian targets in Ukraine marked another turning point in the month-long war.
The interview with Biden, conducted as the conflict in Ukraine approaches its eighth month, provides new insight into the thinking of the US president as senior US officials watch the unfolding of the battle in Ukraine with growing concern.
Biden, who warned last week that the risk of “nuclear Armageddon” was at the highest level in 60 years, said threats from Russia could lead to catastrophic “mistakes” and “miscalculations”, although he refused. to investigate exactly how the US States would respond if Putin deploys a tactical nuclear device on the battlefield in Ukraine.
While Biden said he believes Putin himself is rational, he called the Russian leader’s goals in Ukraine ridiculous, which Putin expounded in an angry speech at the start of the war in February.
“Listen to what he’s saying. If you listen to the speech he gave after making that decision, he’s talking about the idea of being a leader of Russia that unites all Russian speakers. I mean, that’s ridiculous,” Biden said.
The US president says Putin mistakenly believed Ukrainians would submit to a Russian invasion, a miscalculation belied by fierce resistance in the country.
“I think the speech, his goals were not rational. I think he thought he would be welcomed with open arms, that this was Mother Russia’s home in Kiev and that he would be welcome. I think he was completely wrong,” he said. Biden.
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