President Barack Obama On Vladimir Putin: Russian Leader ‘Not So Smart’

President Barack Obama mentioned that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, made a critical mistake when he decided to annex Crimea against the wishes of many Western leaders such as himself. In an interview with NPR, President Obama criticized the short-sightedness of some U.S. politicians.

“You’ll recall that three or four months ago, everybody in Washington was convinced that President Putin was a genius and he had outmaneuvered all of us and he had bullied and strategized his way into expanding Russian power,” President Obama said.

“Today, I’d sense that at least outside of Russia, maybe some people are thinking what Putin did wasn’t so smart.”

President Obama believes that the United States, along with its European allies, have the upper-hand on Vladimir Putin with the Russian economy shrinking for the first time in five years. Barack Obama argued that sanctions had made the Russian economy vulnerable to “inevitable” disruptions in oil price which, when they came, led to “enormous difficulties.”

“The big advantage we have with Russia is we’ve got a dynamic, vital economy, and they don’t. They rely on oil. We rely on oil and iPads and movies and you name it.”

A financial analyst with Macro Advisory consultancy, Chris Weafer, believes that the worst is yet to come for the Russian economy.

“Consumption and investment are going to take a hit because of higher (interest) rates, inflation will be higher because of the weaker currency. The banks are going to turn to the government and shelves will be empty after the New Year.”

Weafer continues, “The trend of the economy in the next six months is certainly going to be much worse.”

“Confidence is shaken, in the central bank, in the currency, in the direction of the economy.”

In contrast, President Obama has steered the United States into prosperity. Studies show that the U.S. economy is still on track to grow by 3.1 percent going into 2015. The sanctions on Russia has also stimulated the American economy. The average consumer now has more disposable income due to the ever-decreasing cost in oil.

With the turn of the new year approaching, Obama has sent a resounding message to Vladimir Putin, that he will not be held ransom by tactics manufactured to intimidate the United States of America or its allies. Despite Putin’s strong-arming, President Barack Obama believes he now holds the upper-hand by outfoxing his Russian counterpart.

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