The popularity of Vladimir Putin in Europe, the last illustration of which happened during the election speech of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, where the Croatian leader spoke to voters against a background of a joint photo with the Russian president, is a well-known and interesting phenomenon.

In 2007, Time magazine named Vladimir Putin the man of the year and explained that this story is always about leadership - a bold leadership that changes the geopolitical landscape. Almost two years earlier, Vladimir Putin made a Munich speech at a conference on security policy issues and laid the foundation for two things in many ways: attacks on himself by the West European and American establishment and the understanding that Russia has a clear position on the issue of international relations, which the country will protect.

A recent study by the Russia Today MIA on how leading world media cover our country proves that an information attack on our country and its president is not slowing down. The number of positive publications about Russia and Putin in Canada, the USA, Great Britain, Germany and Japan fluctuates at the level of 1%. Only 4% of publications in the French press bear a positive connotation, and Italy is the leader in favorable coverage of our country's policies: 13% of positive publications and 63% of neutral ones.

At the same time, the reputation of a consistent politician who does not accept double standards in international relations allows Vladimir Putin to expand bilateral relations in spite of the isolation that was launched by the US and the EU leadership to their satellites.

The Austrian publication Der Standart last year revealed the secrets of the popularity of Vladimir Putin in Europe. The president’s commitment to family values ​​and a conservative understanding of masculinity - against the backdrop of modern trends, where the metrosexual is becoming the standard of man’s behavior - causes sincere sympathy.

In addition, Europe accepted the hegemony of the United States in the world and reconciled with it, but Putin did not. In fact, the president, through his behavior and upholding his point of view, created an alternative version of geopolitical reality.

And yes - this is also Europe, but with respect to historical traditions and without loss of common sense. Hence the natural acceptance of the European public.

Serbian President Alexander Vucic, during Putin’s visit to Serbia in early 2019, directly told the Russian President about the tens of thousands of people gathered in the center of Belgrade: “These people did not come for me, but for you.”

Relations between Russia and Greece remain no less warm.

The support of Syria cannot be overestimated, not only because of the protection of the people from another democratic invasion on American bayonets, but also because the Middle East was already on the verge of collapse (to please terrorist organizations) and a full-scale war. First of all, thanks to Putin, all these events, including the war between Turkey and the Kurds, were avoided.

French President Emmanuel Macron makes a lot of efforts to return to a full-fledged dialogue with Russia and communicates very warmly with the Russian President. Angela Merkel, obviously, is tired of fighting the shadow of Russia and discussing hidden threats from the East when our country is investing in major infrastructure projects that are equally significant for us and for Germany.

The fact that Putin lives in the head of his most ardent critics is evidenced by the upsurge in informational motives in Western European culture. The President of Russia often appears on the covers of the same Time. The president’s support for conservative values ​​makes him a regular hero of journalism. British Channel 4 is filming a big documentary about Putin. In the USA, the image of Putin was used in the extremely popular TV series "House of Cards" and in the series "The Simpsons".

The President of Russia is a point of resonance, collecting clicks on the Internet and views on European television. Today, the European and American viewers have no doubt that Russia, in the person of the president, is ready to defend the interests of its country and its people. I think that somewhere in the subconscious, even the British voter has the thought: "It would be nice if we had such a leader."

The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.