Blair anxious about Putin, optimistic about Ukraine
Former British prime minister Tony Blair says that Russia’s invasion will weaken President Vladimir Putin’s position, possibly fatally, and strengthen Ukraine.
“I have absolutely no doubt at all, Ukraine will emerge as a strong independent country, with a likely path to Europe,” he said in an interview with Kathimerini during the Delphi Economic Forum.
Blair said he knew Putin in two incarnations “and the anxiety that I have now, is that we’re witnessing a third.”
“I can’t imagine the Putin of that earlier time making such a gross miscalculation as this,” Blair said, adding that the Russian president appears to have surrounded himself with people “who will not tell you anything you don’t want to hear.”
“One of the most important attributes of leadership is that you understand you’ve got to have a team… with whom you can have a proper debate,” he said.
