Former Polish President Lech Walesa, an important player in the ultimate breakup of the Soviet Union, charges that Russian President Vladimir Putin has his own "evil twin" seeking to exert Russia's influence.
In an exclusive interview with Newsmax, anti-communist crusader Walesa was asked if he would classify Putin as a dictator.
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"There are two Putins," he declares. "The first one knows that it's important to solve all issues in a peaceful, democratic way. He also realizes that Russia consists of 80 separate nations and if he loosens his grip on them, the whole thing will fall apart. So he holds tight, while also implementing some reforms.
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"He makes a little progress and keeps moving in the right directions. Not too much, but enough to show some good will.
"And there is his evil twin, who still hopes that one day he will show the whole world who is on top. He hopes his day of triumph will come, but until then, he has to sit tight.
"Knowing of his dual personality, we need to support the good one and beware of the other one. I think the world sees and understands this dynamic. Of course, as long as he is in power, he will growl and bare his teeth from time to time, but that comes with the territory.
"It is very hard for a superpower to suddenly lose its supremacy. That's why from time to time, Russia has to growl and show its teeth. They still have enough weapons to make us uncomfortable and uncertain."
Asked if the world, and especially Eastern Europe, has anything to fear from that evil twin, Walesa responds: "The world has changed. Putin can throw some punches and do some minor harm but he won't go any further than that. We won't let him."
Putin is seeking to keep Ukraine in Moscow's economic orbit, while anti-government protesters there want closer ties with the European Union. Now Russia has claimed the United States is meddling in Ukrainian politics.
Walesa observes: "We knew very well that Putin would try to retain control over Ukraine. We also knew his reasons for doing it. But the truth is, if Ukraine were part of the European Union, it would give Russia an opportunity to make 10 times more money because Ukraine's economy and trade would become more stable and prosperous.
"So it really should be to Putin's benefit to let Ukraine join the EU and make sure it was doing well. Unfortunately, an average Russian citizen is unaware of that.
"Furthermore, Russia could start doing business with various companies in Ukraine, thriving under the patronage of the EU. That's why it's hard to believe that the president of Russia wouldn't try to find a better solution for this situation and let his nation benefit from a more prosperous Ukraine.
"I still hope this political impasse can be somehow resolved," he said.
"I was in Ukraine when [Ukrainian President Viktor] Yanukovych gave orders to shoot at the protesters. I thought I'd be able to talk him into changing his orders and stop him from making a huge mistake. But it didn't work, unfortunately," Walesa continued.
"The bottom line is, I think it's possible to have a peaceful end to the crisis in Ukraine, but someone should prepare a precise balance sheet to prove to Russia how much money they could make from Ukraine joining the EU."
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