He said he feared the future use of nuclear weapons in the Middle East

Kissinger: Putin does not want to take back the territories of the Soviet Union

Kissinger: Putin believes that the collapse of Russia's standing in Europe in 1989 and until now is a strategic disaster for Russia.

archival

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, 99, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a prudent person who weighs things carefully, and is also indignant at the West's position on his country, adding in an interview with the German magazine "Der Spiegel" that he fears the use of nuclear weapons in The Middle East.

Here are excerpts from the interview:

■ Almost lived through most of the Kremlin's leaders. Which of them is closer to what Putin is doing now?

■■ Former Soviet Union President Nikita Khrushchev.

■ Why?

■■ Khrushchev wanted the West to recognize his country's status and importance in the world.

In Putin's case, the case is similar, but more severe, because Putin believes that the collapse of Russia's standing in Europe in 1989 until now is a strategic disaster for Russia.

I do not subscribe to the opinion of those who say that Putin wants to recover the territories lost by the Soviet Union.

But what he can't tolerate is that the area between Berlin and the Russian border becomes NATO, which has made Ukraine a major issue for him.

■ In the introduction to your new book, titled “Leadership: Six Studies in International Strategy,” you quoted the words of the former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, “Study history.

In it are all the secrets of statecraft.” What historical precedent is most useful for understanding what is going on in Ukraine?

■■ It's a good question, but I can't give a direct answer now, because on one hand the Ukraine war is about the balance of power.

On the other hand, it has the features of a civil war, and it combines the traditional European model of the international problem, and the purely international problem.

And when this war is over, the main issue will be whether Russia achieves the cohesive relationship with Europe, which it has always aspired to, or whether it becomes an outpost of Asia on Europe's borders.

There is no good historical example for this.

■ In your new book, in addition to the six characters you talked about, you describe the world we live in now as unstable.

In Europe there is a war in Ukraine, in Asia there is a possible conflict in Taiwan, and in the Middle East, Iran continues its efforts to develop its nuclear program.

Why should politicians follow the examples given in your book?

■■ I did not say that they should follow the example of the aforementioned characters, because they are different from each other, and their circumstances are different.

But I think politicians can benefit from the problems these leaders have faced.

■ Do you fear a nuclear arms race in the Middle East?

■■ No, I am afraid of using nuclear weapons.

When Iran establishes itself as a nuclear power, countries like Egypt and Turkey will feel obligated to follow suit.

Then the relations of these countries with each other, in addition to their relations with Israel, will make the region more turbulent than it is now.

■ Given that we are talking about the Middle East, let's go back to the US invasion of Iraq.

Do you consider what happened wrong calculations?

■■ It had been 20 years since I left the government when the invasion happened.

And I sympathized with him.

I felt that President George W. Bush's intention at the time was to show the world that regimes that support terrorist attacks would help create lasting disruption.

The overthrow of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had logical and moral justifications.

What Putin cannot afford is that the area between Berlin and the Russian border becomes a NATO affiliation.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news