That is the diplomatic job of leaders.
Reagan had been pile-driving the Russians into the ground through Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, and Konstantin Chernenko, and finally, Russia made Gorbachev its leader and having forced Russia into a more humble, receptive state, Reagan dealt with him diplomatically and wiped him and his empire out.
After President Reagan killed the Soviet Union, Putin was forced to drive a taxi in St Petersburg. Putin has been holding a grudge ever since.