In his article, Thomas Weber draws a line between Putin's speech on Mount Athos on 3 May 2016, an Orthodox monastic republic with autonomous status in Greece, and the causes of the Ukraine war. Even then, Putin expressed his vision for the future of Russia, with recourse to ancient traditions as well as the announcement to fight the nihilism of the West. The cause of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is thus not the actions of NATO, Weber concludes, but Putin's goal of reviving the Russian Empire.
Putin’s vision from the mountaintop Putin’s vision from the mountaintop
Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber explains, how a speech by the Russian leader in a Greek monastery in 2016 holds the key to explaining why Russia is at war today.
Ukraine
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Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber is Professor of History and International Relations and Director of the Centre for Global Security and Governance at the University of Aberdeen & Associate Fellow at the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies at the University of Bonn.
