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Vladimir Putin wanted to show he is ‘still in charge’ with Ukraine conflict: Clive Palmer
United Australia Party chairman Clive Palmer says Vladimir Putin wanted to “demonstrate that he was still in charge” – domestically and externally – by invading his neighbour despite Ukraine having what he describes as no chance of joining NATO. Mr Palmer told Sky News Australia his take on Mr Putin’s “end game” based on discussions with the Russian President. “He thinks the west is slowly encroaching upon Russia, and he was concerned about nuclear weapons getting closer to the country, whether that’s justified or not,” Mr Palmer said. “And he thought it was better to invade now and stop that from happening because he thought that might happen. “In historical terms, it’s not unprecedented; we can look at what happened in the Cuban Missile Crisis – people with nuclear weapons tend not to be so rational, and that puts the stakes up so people can do things that don’t need to be done. “I don’t think there was any chance of Ukraine ever joining NATO or Ukraine ever joining the EU.” Mr Palmer referenced the economic reasoning behind it. “To be in the EU, one Dutchman has the income of 100 Ukrainians, so you wouldn’t want to dilute the wealth in the EU if you’re in the EU by bringing people in that have much lower living standards,” he said.
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