Vladimir Putin: Russia's role in the world
A man in a hurry. Speaks rapidly. The aggression bubbling under and breaking through during the Q&A session at the end. His most remarkable statement concerns the Russian defence/offence posture regarding the US: "It's not personal; it's mathematical." He sees Russia's push for new tactical weapons as a legitimate answer to the US progress on anti-missile systems. But the home crowd would like a little red meat, no doubt, so he throws them a few choice cuts.
"One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way," Putin says. "This is very dangerous. Nobody feels secure anymore because nobody can hide behind international law. This is nourishing an arms race with the desire of countries to get nuclear weapons."
An echo chamber of this is provided by Dmitry Peskov, who has the impressive title of First Deputy Press-Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation: "It is not about confrontation; it's about the challenges facing us," says Peskow. But a different perspective is provided by Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the president of Estonia. "Russia still considers democracy on its borders as a threat," he says, and adds that Russia does not regard having dictatorships on its borders as a disadvantage. BTW, Ilves has a great website.
Funnily enough, when Putin speaks, it is all about confrontation. His posture and body language signal that he's ready for a fight. When forced to deal with everything from the arming of Iran to the murder of journalists, his colour rises and one is reminded of that famous image of Nikita Krushchev banging shoe on the table at United Nations.
