Forget Putin’s ‘liberalism’ jibe. This man runs a war machine | Natalie Nougayrède

For too long, the west has turned a blind eye to Russian atrocities in a string of wars

Vladimir Putin is on a high. Kicked out of the G8 in 2014 after the start of his military operations in Ukraine, he's been making full use of the G20 summit in Osaka to bask in meetings with world grandees and soak up all the international media attention he possibly can, complete with a not very challenging interview with the Financial Times.

Ever the opportunist, he takes what's on offer, he glides, he smirks. And he watches with glee as we huff and puff at his provocations, whose over-riding purpose is to keep us on edge and play on our divisions.

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