George W. Bush calls Putin a smart tactician
Former US President George Bush Jr. called Vladimir Putin a "smart tactician" and advised US authorities to be more assertive in their dealings with the Russian president.
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| Image of two US and Russian counterparts when Mr. Bush was still in office. |
"He's a very smart tactician. The problem is that his approach on most issues is 'I'm going to win, and America's going to lose,'" the former US president said in an interview with Fox Business.
"He (Putin) is a very active person who wants to restore the influence of the Soviet Union, despite the fact that the Soviet Union no longer exists. So I always think it is important for the United States to be assertive in its relations with Putin," — former President Bush-Jr added.
In March, at the Popular Front forum, when asked what events in Russia he would like to change, President Vladimir Putin said that if possible he would like to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union.
