GZERO Daily is a free newsletter!

Crisis Recovery Sustainability Digital Governance Digital Equity Events Podcasts About

We should not underestimate Putin, says NATO’s Benedetta Berti

February 19, 2023

The war in Ukraine may not have gone the way Vladimir Putin expected, but his objectives remain the same.

“I don’t think we underestimated Russia’s strategy and what they were planning in Ukraine … If anything, maybe at the beginning we had overestimated the Russians’ military capabilities,” says Benedetta Berti, NATO’s policy planning chief, during a Global Stage livestream conversation hosted by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft at the Munich Security Conference.

NATO has strengthened its defense posture while reinforcing its deterrence, and Ukrainians have broken the myth of Russian invincibility. But, she adds, it would be a strategic mistake to underestimate what Russia can do in the future.

Watch the full Global Stage Livestream conversation here: Is there a path ahead for peace in Ukraine?

From Your Site Articles

munich security conference msc 2023 ian bremmer ukraine benedetta berti russia ukraine war nato putin russian invasion of ukraine global stage crimea

More from Global Stage

Is there a path ahead for peace in Ukraine?

As we approach the grim first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which came on the heels of last year’s Munich Security Conference – GZERO is back in Germany, discussing the past year since the war began, what’s likely to come next, and what it means for the world.

Ian Bremmer: The West is united on Russian energy, the rest of the world is not

With talk at this year’s Munich Security Conference from most of the world’s most powerful countries about decoupling from Russian energy, it can be easy to forget that most of the world’s population has other priorities. “What we're seeing is that a majority of the world's economic strength and certainly military strength really wants to put Russia back in a box, but a majority of the world's population does not,” said Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer during a Global Stage livestream conversation.

AI at the tipping point: danger to information, promise for creativity

Artificial intelligence is on everyone's mind these days. The potential for AI to mess up democracy is scary, but the truth is that it can also make the world a better place. So, are bots good or bad for us? We asked a few experts to weigh in during the Global Stage livestream conversation "Risks and Rewards of AI," hosted by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft at this year's World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Tech innovation can outpace cyber threats, says Microsoft's Brad Smith

AI is having a giant moment of growth, as is the ability for actors to use it nefariously. In an uncertain global environment, how can the US outpace challenges in cyberspace? “One of the things that I find just fascinating about the development of AI…it's actually an area where if you take the problems seriously and you have an engineering team that's willing and prepared to work on a moment's notice, you can correct the problems far faster than you can solve most problems in life,” said Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith at this year’s Munich Security Conference.

Mongolia: the democracy between Russia and China

After a peaceful revolution in 1990, Mongolia established a democracy that remains strong today. Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj is one of the founders of Mongolia’s democracy and served as both President and Prime Minister of his nation. As he continues to advocate for freedom globally, he’s speaking out about the importance of supporting Ukraine’s struggle against Russian aggression.

Ukraine dominates the dialogue in Munich

While there are many security risks and global challenges on the agenda at this year’s Munich Security Conference, none have dominated the dialogue more than Ukraine as the war there enters a second year with no clear end in sight. While there’s truth to that overall, there are many nuances and differences in approach from country to country, says Mij Rahman, Managing Director for Europe at Eurasia Group.

Digital Equity

Want Africa to grow? Get people and businesses online: Africa expert

More on Digital Equity