Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

Assessing Putin and the 'Axis of Authoritarians' - and How to Counter Them

A former CIA leader and Ukrainian Prime Minister worry about Putin's ambitions beyond Ukraine

Assessing Putin and the 'Axis of Authoritarians' - and How to Counter Them

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in central Moscow on May 9, 2025. (Photo by VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – On Friday, as Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed more than a dozen world leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, for a Victory Day parade in Moscow and a collective stand against the West, a global gathering in Kyiv heard a very different message: a high-level assessment and critique of Putin — from leaders who have observed him from different vantage points. At the Kyiv Security Forum, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and former CIA Director and top American commander General David Petraeus spoke about Putin's past, his current ambitions, his relationship with the "axis of authoritarians," and how best to counter all these elements, in this fourth year of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

Gen. Petraeus, a Cipher Brief expert, said that while Putin has engaged in the U.S.-led peace negotiations, his aim remains a reconstitution of the Soviet sphere of influence. "He has not changed his overall objectives," Gen. Petraeus said. "He might be satisfied for a period of time with getting all four of the provinces [in Ukraine] plus Crimea, but that's not the desired end state." He added that Putin's broader ambitions are "hugely important if you're thinking about a ceasefire and how enduring that ceasefire would be."

Keep reading...Show less
Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Related Articles

South Korea’s New President

OPINION — On June 3rd South Korea turned the page and is embarked on a journey of peace and prosperity. Lee Jae-Myung handily won the presidential [...] More

Report for Monday, June 16, 2025

7:38 AM America/New_York Monday, June 16 [...] More

The Houthi Balancing Act After Israel’s Attack on Iran

OPINION — How will the Houthis respond to the devastating Israeli strikes on Iran? This moment could prove decisive for both the Iran-led axis and [...] More

Dead Drop: June 13

SHOULD GREENLAND AND PANAMA BE (EVEN MORE) NERVOUS: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was engaged in a war of words this week with lawmakers during a [...] More
Report for Friday, June 13, 2025

Report for Friday, June 13, 2025

9:07 AM America/New_York Friday, June 13 [...] More
{{}}