Putin at Valdai whines for meeting with Trump

In the past, Ukrainian political scientists and various agents would attend the Valdai forum. In recent years, however, respectable people have stayed away. But now, following the BRICS summit, Putin has once again called a conference near his home to "discuss the future of the world."

His hour-long speech should probably be the subject of a psychiatric evaluation to clarify his diagnosis. Nonetheless, under the current circumstances, it’s worth analyzing, as it reveals the dictator’s primary "desires" for any future talks about peace on the continent.

Once again, Putin clearly demonstrated that he doesn't view Ukraine as a subject in its own right, but rather as a mere tool in the hands of the West. He described this very West as a "minority" striving for global hegemony while casting Russia in the role of stopping "those who seek world domination..."

The Russian dictator's ambition is to make changes to the world, and he plans to do so over the next 20 years. Clearly, this means a multipolar world, one that rejects the concept of a “single world policeman” — a role the United States assumed after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

He also hinted at the possibility of using nuclear weapons, warning that the West's current trajectory is a "path to disaster," with a clear allusion to World War III...

In short, he was doing everything he could to raise the stakes before his meeting with the newly elected U.S. President, Donald Trump.

Clearly, without such a conversation, none of Trump's peace plans will succeed. And it's equally clear that this conversation won't happen before January 20.

What's even more obvious is that Putin desperately wants it - to sit down with the leader of the world's most powerful country but on his own terms.

For Trump, however, these lectures on outdated geopolitics probably just sound like empty talk.

Trump is a businessman. He thinks in different terms. It’s hard to imagine him accepting claims of global influence from a country whose economy is smaller than Italy’s or Brazil’s.

Even if we agree with the Kremlin’s view of “tool countries” under the influence of others, Russia certainly seems like a tool Trump could use to advance China’s interests.

Still, he will talk to Putin. With the bloodiest war since World War II, Putin has whined for this conversation. And a lot will depend on it - this one conversation.