Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, listens to his officials, but if he does not like a response, he is blunt and can put subordinates in serious trouble, as was the case with Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russian Intelligence.
The man in charge of the Russian espionage group expressed in a meeting with Putin the possibility of maintaining diplomatic dialogue with NATO and the United States on Ukraine, particularly advancing with the Minsk Agreement, which will be achieved in 2015 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
“We should give the West one last chance to put pressure on Kiev to implement the Minsk agreements, otherwise we must acknowledge…”, said Naryshkin, who went from calmly speaking to nervously before his boss’s response.
Putin listened to his subordinate while adjusting his tie, gesturing disagreement and tapping his desk with a finger, as if im patient, to then firmly question him, humiliating him in front of his colleagues.
“What do you mean otherwise, are you suggesting peace talks?” said Putin.
Naryshkin stumbles at his answer.
“Or recognize their sovereignty?” Putin added, referring to Donetsk and Luhansk, territories where the president ordered the sending of troops and that the US and its allies consider the beginning of the Russian invasion.
“I will support the recognition of sovereignty”, said Naryshkin, visibly nervous.
Putin put pressure on him. “Will you support?… Do you support?”.
“I support the integration…to the Russian Federation”, replied the official.
“We are not talking about that…but about recognizing its independence”, added Putin emphatically.
Naryshkin became more nervous: “Yes, I support acknowledging your independence”.
Then Putin was satisfied with the answer. “Okay, thanks,” he said.
The video was broadcast by mistake by the Russian authorities themselves, according to reports from news agencies and has millions of views on various social networks, including Twitter.