Putin's closest confidant warns that the West is provoking global conflict

The Secretary of the Russian Security Council, and close political ally of Vladimir Putin, Nikolai Patrushev has accused the West of sowing conflicts around the globe and also that some of Russia’s neighbors could soon face chaos. 

While speaking in the capital of Kyrgyzstan during a meeting on issues pertaining to ongoing issues in Afghanistan, Patrushev accused Western nations of inciting conflicts that are unfolding in both Ukraine and the Middle East. 

According to a report from Newsweek, Patrushev explained that the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine were part of a plan that allowed the West to maintain global dominance and remarked that the U.S. benefited from the chaos. 

"Our meeting is taking place against the backdrop of an unprecedented aggravation of the international situation,” Patrushev said. “The reason for this is the West's desire to maintain its dominance in world affairs at any cost.”

“At the same time, Washington is confident that, in conditions of general chaos, it is more convenient to do this,” Patrushev went on to comment. “To achieve their goals, Westerners are ready to do anything.”

Patrushev used Ukraine as a “striking” example of his assessment and told those at the meeting that the conflict was one that the global West was using in order to deal Russia “a strategic defeat."

Newsweek reported that Patrushev was repeating the Kremlin’s view of the conflict in Ukraine, namely that Russia is engaged in a proxy war with the West because Kyiv’s allies were supplying the nation with military aid. 

The Russian Security Council Secretary then accused Western nations of planning to stir up trouble in the South Caucasus region, citing the recent conflict that occurred over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-dominated enclave in Azerbaijan. 

The fighting that erupted over Nagorno-Karabakh saw Azerbaijan launch anti-terrorist operations against Armenian-backed authorities in the region, which is important to the Russian state because it shares a border with Azerbaijan. 

“We also see the desire of Westerners to shake up the situation in the South Caucasus, as well as to interfere with the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement, which has led to an aggravation of the situation in these regions," Patrushev said. 

Patrushev’s remarks come at a time when relations between Russia and the West have reached their lowest point since the height of the Cold War. However, unlike others that have sounded off publically, Patrushev’s comments may hold more weight. 

Patrushev is no ordinary ally of Vladimir Putin, Russia’s Security Council Secretary is a person who’s star rose alongside Putin’s and the two have known each other since long before the Soviet Union collapsed back in the 1990s. 

The Washington Post’s Catherine Belton reported that Patrushev is one of Putin’s “few close advisors” while Newsweek’s Nick Mordowanec pointed out that Patrushev has been “steadfast in supporting Russia's war in Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion.”

“Patrushev’s sudden emergence after more than two decades as a behind-the-scenes power broker has underlined his role as a driving force in the Kremlin,” Belton explained about the role Patrushev took on following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It's been rumored Patrushev could be a potential successor to Putin and Belton noted that the Secretary of the Russian Security Council was a position roughly equal to that of the U.S. National Security Advisor, which gives his words power. 

In November 2023, Patrushev warned the United States and its allies were increasing the risk of global nuclear conflict, according to Reuters. “The natural consequence of the United States' destructive policies is the deterioration in global security.”