Hillary Clinton is warning against a powerful Vladimir Putin, saying containing the Russian president should be a top priority.
The former secretary of state and likely 2016 presidential candidate cautioned that Putin is a threat to both Europe and the U.S. during a speech Monday night in Las Vegas.
“I think he is at heart a bully and you have to be smart; not confrontational, but you have to stand up and you have to encircle and you have to try to choke off his ability to be so aggressive,” she said during the question-and-answer session of her speech, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Clinton called Putin “a very cold-blooded, calculating former KGB agent who is determined to not only enrich himself and his closest colleagues, but also to try to revive Russia’s influence around its border.”
Energy independence is the first step European nations can take to be less reliant on Russia natural gas and thus help themselves long term, Clinton said.
When asked about her 2016 aspirations, Clinton answered, “As I make my decision, part of what I will be thinking about is, What do I want to do with the next years of my life?”
Clinton leads the potential 2016 Democratic presidential nomination field by 53 points, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls.
