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We Need to Talk About Putin
  • Published: 10 March 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529981094
  • Imprint: Ebury Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 176
  • RRP: $26.99

We Need to Talk About Putin

How the West gets him wrong

Formats & editions
Paperback
10 Mar 2026
Paperback
5 Mar 2019
EBook
21 Feb 2019
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An insider's account of the real Vladimir Putin by one of the world’s leading experts in Russian politics, with new content on Alexei Navalny and the war in Ukraine

'Galeotti sketches a bleak, but convincing picture of the man in the Kremlin and the political system that he dominates' - The Times

Meet the world's most dangerous man.

Who is the real Vladimir Putin? What does he want? And what will he do next?

Despite the millions of words written on Putin's Russia, the West still fails to truly understand one of the world's most powerful politicians, whose influence spans the globe and whose networks of power reach into the very heart of our daily lives.

In this essential primer, Professor Mark Galeotti uncovers the man behind the myth, addressing the key misperceptions of Putin and explaining how we can decipher his motivations and next moves. From Putin's early life in the KGB and his real relationship with the USA to his vision for the future of Russia - and the world - Galeotti draws on new Russian sources and explosive unpublished accounts to give unparalleled insight into the man at the heart of global politics.
  • Published: 10 March 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529981094
  • Imprint: Ebury Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 176
  • RRP: $26.99
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About the author

Mark Galeotti

Professor Mark Galeotti is one of the foremost Russia-watchers today, who travels there regularly to teach, lecture, talk to his contacts, and generally watch the unfolding story of the Putin era. Based in London, he is Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Institute of International Relations Prague, having previously headed its Centre for European Security, and was before then Professor of Global Affairs at NYU. A prolific author on Russia and security affairs, he frequently acts as consultant to various government, commercial and law-enforcement agencies.

MG

Also by Mark Galeotti

A Short History of Russia
Homo Criminalis
Downfall
See all

Praise for We Need to Talk About Putin

In fewer than 150 pithy pages, Galeotti sketches a bleak, but convincing picture of the man in the Kremlin and the political system that he dominates.

The Times

Dynamic, authoritative and often witty

The Scotsman

Fantastic.

Nihal Arthanayake, BBC Radio 5 Live

Mark Galeotti, in We Need to Talk About Putin, has distilled a great deal of research and thought into a slim and engaging volume that reads like a primer for anyone poised to enter a negotiation with the Russian president.

The Guardian

Easily the shrewdest and most insightful analysis yet of Putin’s policymaking.

Foreign Affairs

Punchy and highly readable

TLS