The rise of Putin: Is the West to blame?

Journalist Viv Groskop argues the West bears some responsibility for the rise of Putin.
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[@Blanka1100]

It is high time everybody stopped looking at Eastern Europe through Russia's eyes. Russia is not a special need country and Eastern Europe moved on long time ago. West did not want to listen to Eastern Europe's warnings. We knew Putin would not stop. We were right. Russia always needs excuses, not a reason. It is not about Nato. It is about Putin's ego.

[@dpelpal]

And there army turned out to be a complete joke😂

[@wilg9400]

In the democratic world, no leader wants to rock the boat causing pain for the public and give competitors a chance, even if this will benefit the public in the long run. There are always strong motivations to keep the current system working as long as possible because people don’t like to change. Public has to suffer first and learn the hard fact and then the leaders can apply the new policies and make changes.

[@romankalytovskyi1758]

@@wilg9400disadvantages of free society

[@Blanka1100]

@@wilg9400 Russia's neighbors did suffer under russian boot and that is why they knew what was coming.

[@wilg9400]

@@Blanka1100 I know, sadly the cheap energy is powerful enough to form this Appeasement, and daydreaming the spoiled giant baby can turn his mind.

[@GunterSwoboda]

My mother, who grew up under the occupation in Vienna, viewed Russia with distrust. She once said that if Russia didn't like what it was seeing in the West, it would march again towards the West. When Putin came to power, she pointed out that he was KGB. Again, he was not to be trusted. Sure enough, with the establishment of the Oligarchs and the annexation of Crimea, there should not have been any doubt about the Russian Bear and the threat he constitutes to the West and democracy. One of the main issues around this was Merkel's appeasement of Putin. As someone who grew up under the Russian-backed government of East Germany, I would have thought she'd be more astute. What it did was leave fertile ground for Russian political subversion in Western democracies.

[@jim2376]

Well said. Spot on.

[@erichert1001]

To blame? No. Complicit in? Yes.

[@michaeldunham3385]

How complicit?

[@hymns4ever197]

I would say that the West "looked the other way" at Putin's rise to power. I remember there being a significant amount of fear that the Soviet Union's nukes would fall into the hands of terrorists as it disintegrated. Our leaders thought it better to have a strongman in power than for that to happen.

[@michaeldunham3385]

@@hymns4ever197 he was appointed originally by Yeltsin on the advice of the oligarchs who thought that they could control him. I'm struggling to see how it's our fault. There's the argument though Europe became far to reliant on Russian energy even though it became apparent he wouldn't hesitate to use it as a political tool

[@jasperchance3382]

As an italian kid who grew up in GB in the late '60's through to the 70's I remember having a Ukranian girl in my class who's parents became friends of my parents and I've always, it seems, known that Ukranians were not Russians and that they weren't on friendly terms.

[@pierrerienier3214]

sorry but as a half American who grew up in Europe in the 80s, it was so obvious what/who Russia was. I guess Americans missed a few things like interacting with eastern Europeans, reading books,

[@dpelpal]

I remember gathering food and clothes to send to rusha in the 1990s....I'm sure history will repeat

[@oldowleye3161]

@@dpelpal… better not this time - let them feeze… maybe they will remember what happens to does that want to do a living on terrorism and llooting there neighbors

[@dpelpal]

​@@oldowleye3161It's clear they will lose this war eventually. What happens after that is anybody's guess.

[@michaeldunham3385]

There was no Russia in the 80's just the Soviet Union

[@Withnail1969]

@@dpelpal We have mllions here in the UK who depend on food banks.

[@janorgaWB]

The Soviet Union was more like Russian Empire v2, it wasn't really an "union" of countries that joined willing, they invaded and occupied other countries

[@CollectiveDefence]

Yea, she’s kinda giving off the ”useful idio!t” vibes. Even if there is perhaps not a malign intent behind.

[@CollectiveDefence]

She’s kinda giving off the ”useful dumbski” vibes. Even if there is a malign intent behind it.

[@Robert-sd1iz]

Russia suffered terribly in WW2. The birth pangs of democracy in the ‘90s were traumatic. As a result, despite Chechnya and Georgia, Litvinenko and Magnisky, we were prepared to cut them some slack in the noughties, particular as Putin and Medvedev were still saying many of the right things. It was after Putin’s third term re-election in 2012 that the direction of travel of the Russian Federation became abundantly clear. The real failure of the West was in it’s response to the occupation of Crimea and the Donbas.

[@patriciahill1101]

I was 41 when the the Soviet Union dissolved. I was extremely uneasy - even afraid - about the meaning of this event, and could only imagine that chaos would descend upon the world order. I was sheltered, ignorant, and naive. Someone in power should have known more than me. I have learned so much about history and geopolitics in the last two years.

[@Ultranationalist987]

And you're 75 yrs, how comes you're listening YT at that age, writing like this in the comment, you don't have problems with aging Diseases or sightness disorder sometimes.

[@gav7900]

​@Ultranationalist987 what a ridiculous and ageist comment....

[@Chris-zu4es]

she is probably alone about thinking like she was thinking. i think everyone knew what kind of person putin was and was going to be

[@jim2376]

"I look into his eyes and see a KGB agent." Senator McCain's realism in contrast to Bush's naivete.

[@Zenon00007]

❤Ukrainian ❤

I find it difficult to believe people have no idea that Ukrainians spoke Ukrainian...

[@jivaparthipan4286]

Wow. So right about Russia. Ukraine etc. No different from UK - ENGLAND. SCOTLAND. IRELAND. WALES ETC or current EU.. THANK YOU FOR AMAZING INTERVIEW

[@markpensarn593]

Putrid played all our Leaders ..just like poor old Chamberlain with a scrap of Adolfs loo roll signed " Peace in our Time " ...All playing out like 38 to 39 ..

[@stu281]

Even though some historical analogies sound convincing, they are often wrong. As such, relying on them to understand a new situation could have disastrous results. Why because they don’t fit.

[@Blanka1100]

Putin played countries like France or Germany. Poland has been warning for years. Nobody listened.

[@aisteniko4982]

Lithuanian here 🇱🇹 Thank you for speaking out about our independance from russian tirony. We understand Ukrainians very well. We don't want to be under russian occupation.

[@JRattheranch]

I went into a shop, selling door handles, here in Minsk, today! The sole shop assistant told my wife that she understood straight away that I was not Belarusian and also shocked to meet a Welshman! So even now, it's a great surprise to many here! We're building a little house in the forest outside Minsk, which was Poland before WWII. Strange mixes of architecture and language are just fascinating!

[@mitchrodee]

How about posing such question to the Russian citizens?! When do you think the world can start holding a population responsible for whom they elect to govern them?

[@YUDNSAY]

That would go badly for the dominion machines....

[@dalecrocker3213]

America currently has a choice between two elderly con-artists. Makes you think.

[@dalecrocker3213]

America is doing great in this department right now, isn't it?

[@mitchrodee]

@@dalecrocker3213 , definitely doing better than some others.

[@dalecrocker3213]

@@mitchrodee Spoilt for choice, really.

[@michaelclarke5153]

Was my assessment at the outset. How is this not widely discussed?

[@touncy1533]

giving up the presidency when did left me pleased & optimistic... was much younger & less aware though..

[@jdg9999]

Implicit in this conversation is the idea that the West has any say over the domestic politics of Russia. The arrogance really is ridiculous, and from the same people constantly lecturing us about the fact that Russia has never had any right to exercise any influence in Ukrainian domestic politics whatsoever.

[@jasperchance3382]

What right does it have on Ukraine?

[@ramzes3985]

This lady is absolutely amazing! She understands Russia and Russian phycology as if he has been living in Russia for decades. I am not a Russian, but lived there for many years and I am a native speaker in Russian. It is absolute truth that since the collapse of the USSR Russia has been trying to create a fairy tale about "strong Russian people who do not need wealth and normal lives; rather they are happy with their country, particularly president being treated as one of the most influential people in the world. They are happy that Russia has a nuclear weapon and they can destroy any country in the world within minutes. They are happy that they can starve and suffer poor life, but the most important that Russia are supporting terroristic countries and regimes which fight western civilization (проклятый Запад). They are happy that they once were a huge country and wish to restore it again without even considering goals and interests of the nations which once were part of the USSR and Russian empire and which would never ever want to be reunited with Russia again.

[@MikeMike-cc4jk]

An honest conversation about the relationship between allegedly "naive" certain Western governments and the largest Russian entrepreneurs (they should be called oligarchs for propaganda purposes if they are from Russia) is impossible without assessing how through these oligarchs, through "naive" friendship with them, Western governments and the intelligence community tried to have leverage on the Russian economy, strategically on its branches that are particularly dangerous for the West, and for the political class in Russia and its political system. Still trying to influence. An impact that, in an honest conversation, can hardly be called useful, kind, and favorable for Russia and its people.

[@JayDeeChannel]

The first place I travelled was not soviet Russia. I’m wondering who the naive one is?

[@flauschkatz]

Honestly what's so difficult? why can't you ramp up your mix so one can hear what you're saying... why is this all in whispers?

[@user-ph5ys7ed7i]

Poo-tin is good at screaming "Kyiv in THREE DAYS!"

[@dpelpal]

We all heard it and saw it🤷‍♀

[@michaelasamoah2390]

Any evidence?

[@jim2376]

​@@michaelasamoah2390Actually a female talking head on Russian TV said two days. Do your own research and drop the troll farm denial routine.

[@michaelasamoah2390]

Times radio has nothing to talk about apart from Russia Russia?

[@johnnycash9905]

USSR: The Wasteland Nat Geo Aug 1994 Highly intriguing ideas on how the Party killed the environment for military purposes.

[@bilegutale]

What bout wales Scotland and Ireland they are not English y not give independence

[@stevebroadway7274]

GREED !!!!!!

[@dogsbreath2222]

No

[@mrdarbab]

YES!! Europe made him they just pushed him too far is all. No probs.

[@photonotavailable7936]

THE WEST IS TO BLAME!

Oh how cute, a bot...

[@jim2376]

Troll farm life. Meet the quota or it is a fast trip to the zero line.

[@jim2376]

FUN FACT: Two boys are born today, one in Russia, the other in Bangladesh. At birth, statistically which one has the greater life expectancy? 😂😂😂😂 With a war going on, the gap is probably widening. Way to go, Russia!

[@krisalexan8866]

Btw, he's on top now, so there's only one way for him now - down

[@usherloo1928]

Ukraine is winning 🫣😜

[@robbiekop7]

And King Charles 👑 is a Spaniel

[@JohnEboy73]

You are what you eat and Ruzzians are unwashed turnips!

[@usherloo1928]

@@robbiekop7 🫣🫣🫣😜

[@elpasomark2336]

Power profit CONTROL..youll see.

[@Shining237]

For 30+ yrs. NATO has aggressively expanded eastwards towards Russia's borders. The Pentagon warned against this in 1991 but our politicians wouldn't listen.

[@michaeldunham3385]

What are you talking about? Are suggesting former Soviet Republics and Warsaw pact countries didn't have the right?

[@stephenblanchard8973]

...Bot....they want to join FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY...must be hard for you to understand that simple concept...?

[@ruiferreira6578]

Since when as NATO invaded and occupied any country in Europe?

[@i7i9191]

@@ruiferreira6578 Has NATO ask any country to join NATO, or did Counties ask to join NATO or did I miss something.

[@stu281]

@@michaeldunham3385sometimes no.

[@derekwhite2929]

Just like, you can't understand Russia with your mind; EXACTLY the SAME is TRUE for THE UK!

[@war-painter]

U can’t understand russia with your mind. Brute force and ignorance? Mindless lower brain stem activity of lesser evolved beings succumbing to liver disease and advanced alcohol poisoning…

[@elpasomark2336]

Who cares.