Is Vladimir Putin a wimp? The Russian president has a macho image and has shocked the west with his annexation of Crimea. But, in Moscow, there are hardliners who seem frustrated that he has not gone further.
One such is Vyacheslav Nikonov, who is chairman of the Russian parliament’s education committee and the grandson of Vyacheslav Molotov, who served as Joseph Stalin’s foreign minister for many years. Mr Nikonov describes Mr Putin’s policies in Ukraine as “very cautious”. Sitting in Mr Nikonov’s office in the Duma last week, I asked how his grandfather would have handled Ukraine. Flushing slightly, he replied: “Molotov would have invaded Ukraine and taken it in a week.”
If Mr Nikonov’s views were way out of the mainstream – or if he was an unsophisticated hack – his remarks would not be worth noting. In fact, his nationalism and deep suspicion of the west is standard fare in Russia at the moment. Mr Nikonov is a university professor and author, who has taught at prominent US universities such as Caltech. Yet, despite his undoubted knowledge of America, talking to Mr Nikonov is like stepping through a looking glass from the west.