(EDM) Claims of “stability” and “confidence” shaped President Vladimir Putin’s answers to the carefully selected questions posed during his annual 220-minute-long live TV call-in program, which aired on April 14. Since then, however, Russian foreign and domestic policies have zigzagged so much that the notion of “stability” has become irrelevant, while discord among the top figures in the Kremlin and the government has undermined any pretense of confident leadership. During his televised question-and-answer program, Putin concentrated heavily on domestic affairs, seeking to restore the image of an attentive and caring master. But his apparent lack of understanding of the grim reality of protracted crisis has only become more obvious (Carnegie.ru, April 14). Putin also tried to downplay the theme of confrontation with the ever-hostile West, but tensions and direct hostilities have since reached a new level of intensity. […]
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