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Putin only understands power and force, says Finland’s former PM

March 25, 2022
GZERO Staff
Putin Only Understands Power and Force, Says Finland’s Former PM | GZERO World

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No, says former Finnish PM Alexander Stubb — who knows a thing or two about this stuff as he helped broker a cease-fire between Russia and Georgia in 2008 — about Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

"In this particular case, we are beyond the point of no return," he tells Ian Bremmer. "The only thing that he understands is power and force, I'm afraid. He's not gonna back down."

At this point, Stubb can only hope of regime change from the inside in Russia, which has a long history of a hierarchical system with a strong leader at the top — along with a consistent grievance narrative of everyone being out to get you.

Putin can still try to push that, he says, but "we do live in a connected world," so sooner or later Putin's pravda or "tactical truth" will be exposed as the blatant lie it's always been to ordinary Russians.

Ten years from now, Stubb anticipates a Russia that will be as isolated as North Korea is today or South Africa was during the last days of apartheid.

Watch the GZERO World episode: Putin past the point of no return

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