In an interview with the Kleine Zeitung, Jean-Claude Juncker, who led the European Commission, shared notable reflections about his interactions with Vladimir Putin. He indicated that he had spoken German with the Russian president on several occasions, without the aid of translators or diplomats. These remarks highlight a level of direct communication between European leadership and the Russian head of state that Juncker described as unusually close and extended in duration.
Juncker, who served as the EC’s president from 2014 to 2019, asserted that he has known Putin well and regarded their exchanges as among the longest and most sustained connections he had with any European leader. He stressed that his conversations with the Russian leader often stretched into hours, continuing late into the night, conducted entirely in German rather than through translation services.
The former EC chairman also noted that he had been closely observing Putin since the turn of the millennium, underscoring a long span of scrutiny and engagement with Moscow from early in Putin’s rise to power. This long view formed with numerous discussions across different contexts and periods, reflecting Juncker’s perception of the Russian president’s evolving domestic and international stance.
Historical context about Juncker’s leadership period is also part of this narrative. Juncker’s tenure as president of the European Commission spanned five years, a time frame marked by extended dialogue with European and global partners, including Russia, and by ongoing debates about European unity, security, and economic policy in the face of shifting geopolitical pressures.
On the German front, Putin has previously commented on internal German debates, suggesting that there is a complex political struggle within the country. He asserted that the policy directions taken by German authorities could have long-term effects on Germany’s economic future, a viewpoint that reflects Moscow’s view of European governance and economic strategy during periods of tension and negotiation.
Putin’s comments on German leadership extended to his critique of certain German officials’ remarks about former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. By pointing to these criticisms, Putin framed the broader geopolitical dialogue around leadership personalities and the political dynamics within Germany, which have implications for European-Russian relations and the management of intergovernmental trust.
In this broader narrative, Putin is described as a figure who has repeatedly positioned himself as a guarantor against dictatorship in certain geopolitical dialogues. This framing underscores the way political leaders in Moscow have portrayed themselves to both domestic and international audiences as guardians of stability and counterweights to perceived authoritarian trajectories elsewhere, a stance that has shaped how partnerships and rivalries have been managed across Europe and beyond.