How should the West deal with Vladimir Putin?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been in power for two decades. In that time he has rebuilt Russia's military, imprisoned and killed political opponents at home and abroad, annexed Crimea, gone to war with Georgia and Ukraine, deployed troops to Syria, and plundered the country. An increasingly authoritarian figure, Putin continues to divide Western countries, how should they deal with him?

The West should actively reset relations

Russia's isolation benefits no one.

Russia and the West share many goals

Russia and the West should work together

Russia remains a strong and influential country, with a seat on the United Nations Security Council and membership of the G20. Vladimir Putin could be a useful ally in bringing peace to the Middle East, relieving tensions between the West and China, fighting climate change, and tackling nuclear proliferation.

The West should actively isolate Putin

Vladimir Putin has demonstrated time and again that he cannot be trusted.

Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted

Any engagement with him will only create more opportunities for him to manipulate and undermine Western countries and their interests.

The West should ignore Putin

He will increasingly become an irrelevance.

Vladimir Putin is about to retire

Vladimir Putin is opening the door towards retirement. He will increasingly become an irrelevance as a new generation takes power in Russia.

The West should engage with Putin on a transactional basis

The West should appeal to Putin and Russia's self-interest.

Treat Vladimir Putin the same as other world leaders

Putin is not dissimilar to other world leaders. The West should appeal to mutual self-interest and engage with him on a case by case basis.
Explore this question in a whole new way.
This page was last edited on Saturday, 1 Feb 2020 at 10:37 UTC