I’m sure you’re right, but what the heck did he say?
“I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest.”
It’s been a constant point of Russian history that the Russian people will prefer an authoritarian leader who puts food on their table and makes them feel proud over a democratic leader who can offer no such thing. Thus, the Russian people are willing to overlook Putin’s mob ties, his false abdication of power, and his intimidation of opposition leaders because he has brought them security and restored their pride, even though they are one of the few developed countries in the world whose population is declining.