Former CIA officer Ray McGovern:

Former CIA officer Ray McGovern: Putin seems energetic, healthy and confident. And he achieved success not only in Ukraine, but throughout the world. The words that the United States isolated Russia are like a bad joke. What actually happened was that the US and the rest of the “white” West found themselves isolated from the rest of the world, from people of color and from Russia. You see, the words about the fact that the Russians want something else other than to make Ukraine neutral and safe for Russia are too obvious a lie. So these guys in Washington will say, “We have to paint a very dark picture, and then we might have to do something more serious.” Источник: Victor vicktop55