The Russian President Vladimir Putin has confessed that in the early years of his presidency, he retained a naivety towards Western countries.
The Russian leader made this admission in a conversation with journalist Pavel Zarubin.
"Yes, there was definitely naivety. After all, I had a naive perception that the whole world <…> understood what happened to Russia. That it had become a completely different country, that there was no longer any ideological opposition, and therefore no basis for confrontation,"
Vladimir Putin explained about his worldview in the early years of his presidency. An excerpt from the interview was published on Pavel Zarubin's Telegram channel.
He noted that even his experience in the security services did not help him shed his naivety at that time. Putin clarified that even then, Western countries were supporting separatism and terrorism on Russian territory.
Previously, Putin had stated in a live broadcast that if he had the opportunity to meet his younger self from the early 2000s, he would advise himself to stop being naive and trusting.
Putin would also tell his younger version that he was on the right path.
