The actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin do not constitute a new Cold War, but his actions are "somewhat reminiscent" of that era, Dan Kochis, foreign policy expert from the Heritage Foundation, said on
Newsmax TV's "America's Forum" on Monday.
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"I don't think it's a new Cold War because Russia isn't the empire that it used to be," Kochis said.
However, Kochis said that "Russia's actions in South America, they're cozying up with Cuba once again, and certainly their aggression against their neighbors in Europe is very worrying and is somewhat reminiscent of parts of the Cold War."
Earlier this year, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Russia is now supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The research assistant at the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation called Russia's actions "neo-imperialist."
"The Russians are looking to reconstitute the Russian empire," Kochis explained. "They're referring to many of the lands in eastern Europe as a 'Nova Russia,' New Russia.
"So, the idea is that these are lands that are the Russians' to begin with and that they're going to retake them," he added.