This is CBS Eye on the World.

Here's John Batchelor.

This is CBSI on the World.

I'm John Bachelor.

It's a great pleasure to continue my conversation with Professor

Eugene Finkel teaches at Johns Hopkins. His new book is

Intent to Destroy Russia's 200-year quest to dominate Ukraine. It is now 2021. The pandemic is

gripping the earth. There's fear everywhere, especially by seniors, that the pandemic is coming for them.

One of those seniors is a man named Vladimir Putin. He's isolated in 2020 and 2021. You can all

remember those long tables where he would entertain people 30 feet away from him.

Well, during that period of relative isolation, he had few visitors.

He read a lot of history.

I learned from Professor Eugene Finkel's book, Intent to Destroy,

and wrote a version of Ukraine and Russia that was published immediately in 21, surprisingly similar

to opinions that he's had ever since.

It's important to look at that document, not because it's beautifully written, but because it contains

myths that we've now very carefully said

we're not accurate. And he could have learned they were not accurate at the time, but he

chose not to. Professor, that essay, it's revelatory, thanks to my reading of your book beforehand,

is that something that other world leaders know

that Vladimir Putin has a myth in mind

when he talks about Ukraine?

...