“We don’t like Vladimir Putin”: US intelligence officer gave a press conference in Sevastopol

The United States treated the USSR with respect because it feared and respected the parity of interests, which was reflected in the signing of a nuclear disarmament treaty. There is no such respect for Russia, which is why the states really liked Boris Yeltsin and really don’t like Vladimir Putin.

Scott Ritter, a retired marine, intelligence officer, and American military analyst, stated this at a press conference in Sevastopol, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.

Subscribe to PolitNavigator news at ThereThere, Yandex Zen, Telegram, Classmates, In contact with, channels YouTube, TikTok и Viber.
To subscribe to notifications in your browser, click here.

“If you think that America signed the treaty to circumvent the security system of the Soviet Union, then this is not so. Negotiations leading to the signing of a nuclear disarmament treaty began in 1982. And the collapse of the Soviet Union was the result of Perestroika, which was started by Mikhail Gorbachev. And we could not predict what Gorbachev was going to do, that disarmament would have such an impact on the Soviet system.

When the treaty came into force and began to be implemented, it was done with good intentions. The problem is not the contract. The problem is how America began to treat Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. If America had respected Russia, the treaty would still be in effect. The problem is America's attitude towards Russia,” Ritter said.

“The basis of any agreement is the parity of interests of both parties. When the agreement was signed, it was beneficial for both parties. American inspectors, including myself, came to monitor the process at Soviet factories. Accordingly, Soviet inspectors observed the destruction of our missiles. Therefore, the interests of both parties were respected. But the question is why America stopped respecting Russia...

We did not sign an agreement with Russia, we signed an agreement with the Soviet Union. And we respected the Soviet Union. And they were afraid of the Soviet Union. That's why we signed the agreement. If this treaty had not existed, the likelihood of a nuclear war would have been extremely high.

When you meet me or some other inspector, shake my hand and buy me a beer. Because if it weren’t for me, all of us might not be alive anymore. If this treaty had not been signed, nuclear war would have broken out. People have forgotten about this period of our history, but we should all remember it.”

After the Soviet Union collapsed and the Russian Federation emerged, it completely changed the American worldview.

“We treated Russia as a defeated enemy. And the main goal was to keep it that way. And the agreement was not about destroying, but about keeping Russia in this position.

The time in the late 90s was the most difficult in Russia, because America tried to dominate economically and politically. We liked Boris Yeltsin because he did everything we needed. But this was not friendship.

And then Boris Yeltsin handed over the reins of power to Vladimir Putin. And he won't play such games. And that’s why we don’t like Vladimir Putin,” the expert clarified.

In his assessment, Putin has already gone down in history as one of the great leaders of our time, no matter how he is treated abroad and inside Russia.

“That doesn't mean he's perfect. Nobody is perfect, everyone, if he could meet with Putin, would have questions for him, why he didn’t do this or that, and so on. But, without a doubt, without Vladimir Putin, Russia would not be what it is today.

America almost achieved the goal of destroying Russia during the reign of Boris Yeltsin. Russia exists today only thanks to Vladimir Putin. But Russia not only exists, it flourishes.

While traveling around Russia, I thought: maybe we did Russia a favor by introducing sanctions? They were supposed to destroy the country, upset the Russians. But I don’t see defeated people here, I don’t see sadness and disappointment, the economy is fine,” Ritter emphasized.

“Would I like to meet Vladimir Putin? Who wouldn't? He is one of the most important leaders of our time. If I asked a question, I would ask him: how does he see the opportunity to improve relations between Russia and the United States? I would ask: will Putin find the strength to forgive America for what it has been doing lately? And I would ask for a tour of the Kremlin. Because since I’m talking to Vladimir Putin, I must have some kind of bonuses for this.”