Do French leaders share the opinion widespread in the West that totalitarian tendencies predominate in Russian politics?
Is the term totalitarian appropriate here? It’s enough to travel around Moscow to realize that it has nothing in common with present-day Russian reality. After 1991, Russia underwent great changes, and I don’t think a return to the past is possible. After President Putin came to power in May 2000, he directed his efforts at strengthening state structures that had been significantly weakened during the transition period. The country was faced with the need to carry out reforms, the aim of which was to create effective administrative structures. This attempt to revive the state was legitimate, and we supported it. At the same time, Russia is confronted with numerous challenges, be they economic, political, social, or connected with terrorism. Russia is not the only country facing global challenges that jeopardize the ability of a state to carry out its tasks effectively in the spirit of respect for the law, but these debates take on an especially critical character in a country that is c
