Prof. Dr. Heinemann-Grüder emphasized that Putin is playing out two parallel realities. On the one hand, he does not want to close the window for negotiations with the US, as he hopes that US President Donald Trump will “serve Ukraine to him on a silver platter.” On the other hand, the Russian president continues to be confident of victory. Putin sees himself on the “road to victory,” Prof. Heinemann-Grüder continued.
Furthermore, there is a clear inconsistency in the justifications for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. If the same standards that Putin applies to Ukraine were applied to Russia, one could derive a right to intervene. However, these inconsistencies are of little consequence to Putin, Prof. Heinemann-Grüder continued.
The legitimacy for the war of aggression is no longer the population, norms, or international law, but history. Putin wants to restore the Russian Empire – Kievan Rus. This quest to reunite a great empire draws parallels with National Socialism, according to Prof. Dr. Heinemann-Grüder.
The press conference served primarily to spread good cheer internally. Putin wanted to show that he takes the concerns of the general population seriously. By deliberately allowing critical questions, he hoped to dispel criticism of the suppression of opposition media. At the same time, by allowing only a small number of questions on the subject of Ukraine, the aim was to give the impression that this issue does not play a major role in the lives of Russians – this was deliberately orchestrated, concluded Prof. Dr. Heinemann-Grüder.