PUTIN RECALLS REMARK BY FORMER FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC ABOUT US LEADERSHIP

PUTIN RECALLS REMARK BY FORMER FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC ABOUT US LEADERSHIP During the 2023 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled a conversation he said he once had with former French President Jacques Chirac about American foreign-policy leadership. According to Putin’s account, he asked Chirac why the United States could sometimes […]

PUTIN RECALLS REMARK BY FORMER FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC ABOUT US LEADERSHIP

During the 2023 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled a conversation he said he once had with former French President Jacques Chirac about American foreign-policy leadership.

According to Putin’s account, he asked Chirac why the United States could sometimes pursue what he described as an aggressive and shortsighted approach to international affairs.

Putin said Chirac responded in Russian with the phrase: “Because they are uncultured.”

Putin presented the remark while discussing his views on the conduct of major Western powers and the differences he perceives between Russia and the United States in matters of international relations.

The comments are part of Putin’s public recollection of his conversation with Chirac and should be understood as an account attributed to the Russian president, rather than an independently verified statement from Chirac himself.

The episode has since been cited in discussions about US foreign policy, Russian-Western relations, and the contrasting political and cultural perspectives of major global powers.