The Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin interviewed President Vladimir Putin at some length on Feb. 24. The following are excerpts, by machine translation from the Kremlin site: [Note: The [English is now posted](Why? His approval rating, be it four percent or any other number, does not matter all that much. What matters is that his approval ratings – and according to the information at our disposal this is objective data – is exactly half that of his closest potential political rival. I am referring to Mr Zaluzhny, the former commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who was sent, or should I say exiled, to London. His approval rating is twice as high as that of the current regime leader.) to the President’s website, with slightly different translation.]
On Ukraine: Zarubin asked if Trump was playing into Russia’s hands on the Ukraine matter, as some in the West say. Putin: “I believe that this is absolutely not the case. I have my own point of view on this matter, it is the opposite of what you have just stated.… Because in reality it doesn’t matter how many percent he [Zelenskyy] has—four or whatever. What’s important is that his rating, according to our data—they are objective—is exactly two times less than that of his possible closest political rival. This is Mr. Zaluzhny, the former commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, who was exiled to London—his rating is exactly twice as high….
“Among other things, the current [U.S.] President has declared that he wants to achieve peace—and by the way, so do we—and as quickly as possible. And the current head of the regime is standing in the way of achieving this goal. That is where the position of the President of the United States comes from, as I see it.”
On Trump’s Approach: Zarubin asked if Trump acts “on the basis of emotions?” Putin said: “Of course not.” Question: “Do Europeans even understand, in your opinion, the essence of the current situation around Ukraine?” Putin: “You should ask them. Judging by the way they act, it seems to me that they do not really understand. But that is not even the point. The point is that, unlike the new President of the United States, the political leaders of European countries are connected with the current regime, they are engaged.…
“Unlike them, the current President of the United States, the new President, the newly elected President—he has his hands free, he is free from these shackles that do not allow him to move forward and work towards resolving the conflict, and in his character, probably—he acts straightforwardly and without any particular embarrassment. He is in a unique position: he does not simply say what he thinks, but he says what he wants. Well, this is the privilege of the leader of one of the large, great powers.”
