That’s what the Germans, the French, and everyone else with a sufficiently large distance from the Russian border relied on. That he can be understood from a purely capitalist framework, that he wouldn’t start a war that’d be bad for business, or promptly ended one if it turned out to be. Alas.

I hope the next Russian leader has better track record when it comes to working to support Russian geopolitical interests. You know, make NATO irrelevant by not posing a threat to neighbouring countries, have close trade and cultural relationships with European countries, not endanger those by starting wars in Europe, the like.