“He has become increasingly paranoid”: Putin expert reveals how Kremlin boss has changed

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Vladimir Putin (71) lets few people get close to him – and certainly not people from the West. Angela Stent (77) is an exception. She met the Kremlin boss repeatedly over several years and is considered one of the most renowned Putin experts.

The professor directs the Center for Eurasia, Russia and Eastern Europe at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She was previously an intelligence officer working for the U.S. Department of State.

“The more confident he became, the more intimidating he seemed.”

The Russian president has changed over the years, Stent says. “The last time I met him was in 2019. My impression is that he is becoming increasingly paranoid and more convinced of himself. “He just lives in his own world,” she tells “Focus.”

He wasn’t like that before, he seemed more shy. However, the expert says that she has always been careful about what she says around him: “I never felt relaxed in his company. The more confident he became from year to year, the more intimidating he came across.”

Putin always wants more in the long run

He truly believes that the West is planning to destroy Russia and it is his job to prevent that. At the same time he wanted the Russian Empire back. That means taking Poland, Lithuania and Latvia and joining Russia.

That’s why Putin is so dangerous. Stent continued: “If he succeeds in taking over more Ukrainian territories militarily, it will certainly encourage him to want more. Not today and not tomorrow – but certainly in the long term.”

‘Putin interprets every hesitation as weakness’

The West must therefore represent strength together. The Kremlin boss always keeps a close eye on the situation. “Putin interprets any hesitation as weakness. You should never give in to him, but always challenge him. Actually, that should be clear to everyone by now.”

But Stent also emphasizes that there is no reason to panic at the moment. There is currently no immediate threat of another war. But the West should not make concessions to Putin. Stent: “He wants to give the impression that he is willing to negotiate. But the truth is he has no interest in it.” (ymh)

Source: Blick