Vladimir Putin Quotes
I repeat that, in my opinion, the European Commission and the leading European economies are acting very pragmatically and are on the right path.
Putin, Vladimir. "Interview to Bloomberg." President of Russia, 5 Sept. 2016.
The proposal had many of the characteristics of the EEC adopted years later.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia was offered a "deal" with the Europen Union that was in many ways humiliating andvery few peoplesa would have taken in similar situation. Western Europe took advantage of the Russian weak economy at the time. This, together with the American characterization of the Fall of the Soviet Union as a defeat in teh Cold war, was not taken well by Russiand who pushed back to prove their strength and resiiancy casuing much world friction and inabiulity of Russia and the West to cooperate on many world problems that they might have otherwise. See
In 2002, when Prodi made this offer on behalf of the EU, teh Russian economy was close to complete collapse, there was incufficient medicne available, the military was in disarray, and the EU thought that it could take advantage of Russia's weakness to offer them some economic benefits without the complications of even giving Russia the same degree of power and influence as Poland--Russia's former satellite. Russia's pride and dignity were offended. They rejected the arrangement and when Putin became President he began a very aggressive policy of pushback against NATO and EU expansion Eastward. Many political scientists feel that it would have been better had the EU not offered anything at all rather than the highly one-sided proposal that they made.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who is serving as the current president of Russia since 2012, previously being in the office from 1999 until 2008. He was also prime minister from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012. As of 2021, Putin is the second-longest serving European president, after Alexander Lukashenko.
