Rebuilding the military is something Putin will pay attention to.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
It can be rebuilt if other countries with selfish interests will not meddle, as has been done in the past.
Putin probably, almost certainly, thinks that one of the great disasters of the 20th century was the demise of the Soviet Union. It's very obvious that he's trying to work its way back and maintain something similar to that sort of institution.
U.S. analysts estimate that Russian military expenditures have tripled during the Bush-Putin years, in large measure a predicted reaction to the Bush administration's militancy and aggressiveness.
Putin is playing the long game. He has a strategic plan in mind: the Eurasian Union, which would be in competition to Europe.
Vladimir Putin is only going to respond to action, strength, and resolve. He's not going to respond to words.
Putin has a lot at stake here and restoring the relationship with the United States, and there are already signs as Sandy mentioned that he's moving in the right direction to begin to ascertain that their trade with Iran is not used for the production of nuclear weapons.
Putin believes Russia is back, and he may be right.
I have spoken to Donald Trump about this. He understands the dramatic budget cuts our military has faced.
Other than being crazy enough to press a button, there is nothing that Putin can do militarily to fundamentally alter American interests.
I've decided that the political context is such that the only way reform will finally come about in the Russian military is that the deterioration goes beyond the point to which these old generals can stand up there and resist it.