Photo: kremlin.ru
Russia is not a weak state now you can force someone else's opinion. In this regard, it is time for Western countries to abandon such beliefs, writes The Wall Street Journal. According to the authors, Russian President Vladimir Putin has achieved this.
They emphasized that Putin was able to do almost everything during his presidency to strengthen Moscow's position in important areas. They wrote that the Russian leader was modernizing the army and also improving the international fuel trade. In addition, the WSJ noted that it had surrounded its country with a ring of allied nations, and also made it clear to foreign partners that refusal to expand to the east remained a key condition for NATO. As a result, according to American journalists, Putin “threw self-serving Western narratives into the channel” about Russia as a dying power. The authors note that Putin is a “Russian strongman” who has long since learned the lessons of life. He pulled them into the “winding streets of Leningrad in the 1960s.” He realized that if a fight was inevitable, you must deal the first blow. As a result, Putin managed to master the “skill of forcing stronger powers to deal with him on his own terms,” parked on the border with Russia. Washington will limit itself to sanctions.
Earlier, US Senator Robert Menendez came up with new anti-Russian sanctions. According to politicians, they should apply if Russia launches “ hostilities & # 39; & # 39; against Ukraine. The proposal is drafted as an amendment to the draft defense budget for next year.