the most popular feels able to go on this trip? he is the most popular leader feels able to go on this trip? he is the most popular leader in - feels able to go on this trip? he is the most popular leader in the world the most popular leader in the world it s the most popular leader in the world. it s the function of being a wartime world. it s the function of being a wartime leader who has survived against wartime leader who has survived against the odds. his approval rating against the odds. his approval rating would make any world leader envious rating would make any world leader envious it rating would make any world leader envious. it doesn t mean there are no little envious. it doesn t mean there are no little tension or problems. they are muted, no little tension or problems. they are muted, they are not gone. for example. are muted, they are not gone. for example. in are muted, they are not gone. for example, in my publication the economist last week we
insovereign debt as well. matt, the united states was accused of fanning hysteria over ukraine, but it is a fact that there are more than 100,000 russian troops at ukraine s border so how is all that playing out there? thank you, craig. that s basically the talking point now, the emergent talking point. we ve seen them start to run with this idea that this is all a western media craze since daylight started to form between the white house and president zelensky over the immediacy of the intentions of those troops. the russian public is being told, don t worry, this is just made up by the west and it all folds very nicely into some of the other narrative threats that they are possibly spinning,
trying to contain russia and create a pretext for nato to make moves on russia. more fundamentally it all comes back to the idea that the west is hyping up zelensky. russians are not being told the truth entirely about their troops. they re aware there s movement going on and there s a general sense out. again, we all take this for granted but the state has incredible control over narratives here, over the media here. there s just burnout. people are not sitting there fact checking and they re not all that interested in the fine details.