Mikhail Khodorkovsky spoke to award-winning journalist Luke Harding during the Intelligence Squared+ online event regarding his vision for a post-Putin Russia. The event centered around Khodorkovsky’s recently published book, Gardarki. Other topics discussed by Khodorkovsky and Harding included reasons for a decentralized political system in Russia, the prospect of mass protests, and a change of power in Russia in the foreseeable future.

Commenting on Putin’s foreign policy, Khodorkovsky said:

“A Gangster who wants to negotiate with you will start to create problems. And then the gangster will pop up and offer a solution to these problems. Putin can’t feel like he’s an equal with world leaders because his country is rich. So he creates problems for world leaders. If at the other side of the table there were leaders like Margaret Thatcher or Ronald Regan, those problems would get back to him very fast. But today’s leaders are different.

All the world leaders have to pay for Putin’s help in solving problems he created is to forego their ideals. They agree that Putin will have his zone of influence. And I have a feeling many leaders are ready to agree to this.”