Putin has ‘lost his mind’ says British diplomat who worked in Moscow and Kyiv

A British diplomat who has worked in both Russia and Ukraine says he believes Vladimir Putin has ‘lost his mind’

Paul Knott says the invasion was not a war which could be won long-term by the Russian leader, according to the Hull Daily Mail.

He says while Russia is the stronger country on a military level with better equipment the lack of support from around the world means it cannot bring long-term success.

Mr Knott, from Hull, is an expert in foreign relations. He served with the Foreign Office for more than 20-years and wrote the book, The Accidental Diplomat, about his experiences.

He worked in Russia prior to his departure in 2008. Before that he worked in Ukraine.

However he said despite Putin’s actions, he believed the UK also had to take some responsibility in allowing Russia to get away with crimes.

He said: “Watching Putin’s bonkers speech on Russian TV, he actually does look like someone who’s lost his mind a little bit,” he said.

“That was an extra concern.”

He said previously there was a sense that he was rational but added: “That’s been more and more in doubt over recent weeks.

“I think it’s a trajectory that you can look at with a lot of long-standing dictators where they get steadily more closed off and surrounded by a small number of people who are looking to get what they can out of it.

“During Covid, Putin has by all accounts essentially been locked in a bunker for two years.”

Paul described the invasion as a move that left Russia “a total pariah” that was now “cut off from everyone” with a few exceptions, a move which would “ultimately hurt the people of Russia”.

While saying the UK’s sanctions on Russia were a step in the right direction, Paul added that previous “passiveness” to Russian dealings meant we shared culpability.

He said: “Britain’s been way too weak on allowing stolen Russian money to be stashed in London and that damages your own society. The only sort of silver lining there really is that that gives us a fairly hefty lever to pull.

“If we want to help in any way in stopping a brutal dictator starting to make its way across Europe and attack freedom and democracy, it’s by looking at money and property which could and should now be frozen.

“That will hurt people who benefit from Putin’s regime who are close to him as much as possible.

“We’ve been far too complicit in allowing that.”

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