It seems that Putin is an honest broker for the best interests of Russia. Obama is not an honest broker for the best interests of the US.
I would’ve agreed with that before Putin began stealing from and threatening his neighbors. Now he appears to be just a garden variety despot.
That is, I disagree with the first half of your statement. The second half is dead nuts on.
The US wants to keep the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, etc. etc., out of the Russian orbit, to keep Russia weak (and therefore unable to thwart the formation of the New World Order).
Russian wants those territories back, in part to defend itself against the encroachments of the New World Order, and to retain its independence from that Order.
Bottom line.