Decoding the Kremlin: Putin, Power, and the Battle for Global Influence

Journalists Suzanne Kianpour and Jim Stenman sit down with Christopher Steele, the former head of MI6’s Russia desk.

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What does Vladimir Putin really want — for Russia, for himself, and for the post-Soviet world?

In this episode of Global Power Shifts, Suzanne Kianpour and Jim Stenman sit down with Christopher Steele, the former head of MI6’s Russia desk and the man behind the now-infamous Steele Dossier, to decode the Russian president’s strategy — from Ukraine to Eurasia to the global stage.

Steele, a career intelligence officer turned geopolitical consultant, brings decades of insight into the Kremlin’s inner workings. With war still raging in Ukraine and tensions rising across former Soviet republics, his perspective on Russia’s evolving role in the 21st century is more relevant than ever.

We explore:

• Putin’s long game in Ukraine and beyond

• What motivates Russia’s foreign policy

• How the West misunderstands Moscow

• The risks ahead — and the signs we’re missing

Whether you follow geopolitics, international relations, or global security, this is a deep dive into how power is shifting — and why understanding Russia is key to understanding the world today.