Putin 'determined to rebuild' Soviet Union
Putin 'determined to rebuild' Soviet Union Dominic Giannini AAP Published: 24/02/2022 Updated: Friday, 25 February 2022 9:15 AM AEDT Ukraine's Charge d'Affaires in Australia has called for more support after Russia's invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to rebuild the Russian Federation into something akin to the old Soviet Union, according to Australia’s former foreign minister. Julie Bishop says the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be profound as the Russian president “rips up the rulebook”. “He is formidable. He is a risk taker. He has been threatening for many years that he won’t tolerate an expansion of NATO membership on Russia’s borders” Ms Bishop told Sunrise. “Now this is a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Clearly, he is not bluffing (and) I cannot see a scenario where he will pull back.” Defence Minister Peter Dutton echoed the former deputy Liberal leader’s comments, saying Mr Putin had retreated to a Cold War era ...