I'm John Bachelors.

This is the new John Bachelors show.

It's a great pleasure to speak to our Kadyostrovsky, the Russia editor of the Economist

magazine, Basin London.

We're discussing Vladimir Putin on the eve theoretically of a summit between Vladimir Putin, the

President for as long as he wishes of Russia, of the Russia Federation, and Joe Biden,

the new President of the United States, were also watching very carefully the health of

the Alexei Navalny, the protester who has risen to a political presence, a significant

political presence in Russia and in Eurasia.

Then there is the Russian economy.

Kady, you know very well that Germany has a big vote in the European Union, banking industry,

energy, and recently sanctions by the U.S. and by the European Union have left out Nord Stream

2, the massive project, 90 percent complete, I read, to connect Russian energy to Germany

and therefore the European Union.

The Germans are reluctant that might be the wrong word.

The Germans have acknowledged that Nord Stream 2 is important to them and they're reluctant

to change the terms at all.

Is that a profound factor for Vladimir Putin?

Is that taken as Germany voting for him?

No, I don't think it is, John, to be fair.

I think it's, personally, and the Economist, we don't think this project should go ahead.

I completely understand the risks of it, it's circumventing Ukraine, it's not driven by

...