"It's not about his personal power . . . Only Russia and what will happen with Russia, because it's an enormous responsibility, and Putin takes it and carries it"

Thank you to Tom Luongo.

Putin can be all the things that Soloviev says here and still be a gangster operationally. Also, this is one of Russia’s harshest critics of Putin… so salt to taste, draw tour own conclusions, but be honest and not reactionary…. https://t.co/lSSerYlbDq

— Tom Luongo (Head Sneetch) (@TFL1728) August 22, 2023

RITTER:  Is he a brutal dictator?  Is he a Jeffersonian Democrat? Who is Vladimir Putin?  

00:57. First of all, Putin is extremely Russian.  He is very Russian, so he's part of Russian culture, he's part of Russian people, and that's why people love him.  He hears people.  When you talk to Putin, he's extremely interested in what you have to say.  So he's not lecturing you.  He's extremely honest with you.  He's very open with you, and he hears you.  And he really wants to understand what you have to say to get deeper into your problem if there is a problem he's very professional in working with info.  He is never Russian with his decisions.  He is always calculating and he understands the responsibility that's on his shoulders.  He is definitely not even close to the definition of cruel like it's not about him.  He is definitely not even close to the definition of dictator.  Not about him at all.  Actually, vice versa.  I would say that he is far more democratic than Medvedev or Yeltsin or Gorbachev.  He admits other [people's] points of view, and he listens to them.  When you talk with Putin, it's not like, "Well, here's my opinion, and that will be it," no, no, no, no.  He wants you to understand how he comes to this opinion and why he is forced to do this or that step. He always thinks about what and how it will affect the country and the people.  He's not looking for love from his enemies.  So he's not looking for world acknowledgment, "Oh, what a great guy from United Kingdom or United States," no, no, no, no. He's not like Gorby or Yeltsin, who could be easily influenced by that.  There's only one thing that he's really interested in.  It's not about his personal power, wealth, or whatever.  It doesn't matter at all.  Only Russia and what will happen with Russia, because it's an enormous responsibility, and Putin takes it and carries it.  That's why he studies a lot of history books. He's a real fan of history. He reads a lot, and it's not science fiction, it's serious, serious studies of history.  He has his own opinion.  He has his own opinion.  He has his own opinion, but he respects other people's opinions as well. It's really fun to talk to him.

Who is Vladimir Sloviev?  He is a Russian TV presenter and political commentator.^[9He has been an anchor on the television show Evening with Vladimir Solovyov on Russia-1 since 2012.