Abbas Gallyamov and his family have now lived in Isreal for about 4 years. Maybe that’s why he felt comfortable enough sharing his thoughts on Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine? Gallyamov, the former speechwriter for the Kremlin and Putin advisor, say that the tyrant bit off way more than he could chew and Putin would have never invaded “had known what was going to happen”
Putin, he told Israel’s Kan broadcaster, “is ready to stop” the invasion, but “he needs some trophy to present to the general Russian public and to Russian elites.”
Gallyamov said that Putin believed that his invasion of Ukraine would be swift and decisive, and over in a matter of “two or three days,” after which he would be able to impose a puppet government.
The Russian president, he added, “understands that he got into trouble, and definitely he was not counting on that.”
Moreover, said Gallyamov, the primary motive for the invasion was “nothing to do with Ukraine or with the USA or with NATO,” but with Putin’s waning domestic popularity.
“His ratings are going down within the last three, four years,” he said, “and the protest sentiments grow, and Putin is going to face serious problems.”
This, he added, prompted Putin to start the war in hopes of a “rally around the flag effect” that would boost his popularity.
Asked about the recent diplomatic moves by Israel to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv — including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s weekend visit to Russia, where he met personally with Putin — Gallyamov said that if the Russian leader is willing to listen to reason, “definitely it is only the Israeli prime minister who will be able to deliver it.”
“We all know that, out of all the countries of the first world, out of all the democratic countries, Israel has the best relations with Russia,” he explained. “And Putin really treats Israel differently. … So, if there is anything in general which can help the West and Russia find common ground, then it’s through Israel.”
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עבאס גליאמוב, מי שהיה כותב הנאומים של פוטין וחי בישראל ל-@mayarachlin: "אם היה יודע שככה הולך להיות, הוא לא היה יוצא למבצע. הסיבה לפלישה – התמיכה בו בירידה. ההתנגדות להצטרפותה של אוקראינה לנאט"ו היא תירוץ"#ערבערב pic.twitter.com/a2GGmMOZ4F
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 6, 2022
I think it makes sense that Putin thought the invasion would be easy. Thanks to Biden, Putin believed the west was out of the way. He didn’t count on the rest of the world standing up to him.