Putin's quest for global dominance: Reshape the world order
Since the beginning of his presidency, Donald Trump has asserted that Vladimir Putin desires peace. European leaders, however, view the situation differently, as they mistrust both the words and intentions of the Russian leader. What does Putin want? CNN explores this question in its analysis.
The Russian president has made no secret of the fact that he believes Ukraine should not exist as an independent state and he has repeatedly said he wants NATO to shrink back to its Cold War-era size. But more than anything, he wants to see a new global order — and he wants Russia to play the starring role in it, according to CNN's analysis.
Putin and some of his closest associates emerged from the remnants of the KGB. They have never forgotten the humiliation following the USSR's collapse and are dissatisfied with how the world has evolved since then.
Does Putin want to restore Russia to its USSR-era position?
CNN notes that in the 1990s, Russia's collapsing economy needed rescue from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. However, since 2000, when Putin became president, rising oil prices have contributed to unprecedented wealth in Russia. As a result, Russia was invited to join the G7 group of the world's largest economies, which was renamed the G8. However, this is not enough for Putin.
"It (Russia - ed.) is the largest country in the world, the richest in (natural) resources, so how can it simply be one of the players?" explains Kristine Berzina, managing director of the American NGO German Marshall Fund, summarizing Putin's perspective.
Putin and his associates have made it clear their long-term goals remain unchanged. Even as they speak of peace, Russian officials assert that it will only be achievable when the "root causes" of the conflict in Ukraine are "eliminated."
Does he want to drive a wedge between Europe and the USA?
According to the Kremlin, the "root causes" include Ukraine's sovereignty and its democratically elected President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as NATO's eastward expansion over the past 30 years.
"For the Kremlin, it’s not a war with Ukraine, it’s a war with the West, and a lot of people in Moscow don’t really believe that they can get any kind of lasting agreement with the US," said Andrei Soldatov, a Russian investigative journalist and security expert based in London, in an interview with CNN. "They really believe that the West has been after the complete destruction and subjugation of Russia for centuries. It’s not just propaganda, they really, really believe in this," he adds, referring to Putin and his inner circle. He admits they take this matter extremely personally because they remember the collapse of the USSR, which they perceived as a great humiliation.
According to Monika White, assistant professor in the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies at the University of Nottingham, Putin wants to reestablish Russia's leading position on the world stage by driving a wedge between Europe and the USA and cooperating with other adversaries of the West.
She believes that the Russian leader thinks Russia, the largest country in the world by area, should be involved in governing the world. He might have a like-minded man in the White House. Trump has made it clear that he believes the biggest and most powerful countries should get what they want – whether it’s Greenland, the Panama Canal, or a chunk of Ukraine, according to CNN.
