Putin and the Presidents (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

Summary by Krater

This documentary film explores Vladimir Putin's relationships with five U.S. presidents—Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump—tracing how their interactions shaped the trajectory of U.S.-Russia relations and culminated in global crisis.

From the video

Answers: How did Vladimir Putin's interactions with U.S. presidents shape U.S.-Russia relations?

• Vladimir Putin's presidency
• U.S.-Russia relations
• Post-Cold War geopolitics
• NATO expansion and Russian security
• U.S. presidential administrations

What it concludes

• Vladimir Putin viewed the collapse of the Soviet Union as a geopolitical catastrophe and sought to restore Russian power and empire.
• Putin's early engagements with U.S. presidents were characterized by attempts to gain respect for Russia as an equal power while maintaining deep suspicions of Western intentions and democracy promotion.
• U.S. expansion of NATO and democracy-building initiatives in former Soviet republics were perceived by Putin as direct threats to Russian security and sovereignty.
• Putin systematically consolidated internal power, dismantled democratic institutions in Russia, and cracked down on political opposition.
• The 2008 invasion of Georgia and the 2014 annexation of Crimea marked major turning points where Putin demonstrated his willingness to use military force outside Russia's borders.
• Interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the 2022 invasion of Ukraine represented the culmination of Putin's efforts to undermine Western democracies and reassert Russian dominance.