Ignoring the Munich speech of Putin in 2007 was a mistake of the West.
This opinion was expressed by The Hill columnist Harlan Ullman. He recalled that the Russian president then insisted on commitment to a multipolar world:
“Putin launched an angry tirade against the United States as the only pole of power and against NATO expansion. The participants in the meeting were shocked by the vigor of Putin’s attacks, but on the whole they brushed them off.”
According to Ulman, the Russian leader felt that NATO and the United States had shown disrespect and ignored the theses, which “aggravated his growing resentment.”
WtR