The Putin Interviews

From Oscar-winner Oliver Stone comes a first-hand look at one of the most important, powerful, and controversial leaders in the world: Vladimir Putin of Russia. The companion to the news-breaking television series, this edition has substantial material not included in the documentary.

Academy Award winner Oliver Stone was able to secure what journalists, news organizations, and even other world leaders have long coveted: extended, unprecedented access to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Putin Interviews are culled from more than a dozen interviews with Putin over a two-year span—never before has the Russian leader spoken in such depth or at such length with a Western interviewer. No topics are off limits in the interviews, which first occurred during Stone’s trips to meet with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in Moscow and most recently after the election of President Donald Trump.

Prodded by Stone, Putin discusses relations between the United States and Russia, allegations of interference in the US election, and Russia’s involvement with conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, and elsewhere across the globe. Putin speaks about his rise to power and details his relationships with Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, and Trump. The exchanges are personal, provocative, and at times surreal. At one point, Stone asks, “Why did Russia hack the election?”; at another, Stone introduces him to Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 Cold War satire "Dr. Strangelove," which the two watch together.

Stone has interviewed controversial world leaders before, including Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, and Benjamin Netanyahu. But The Putin Interviews, in its unmediated access to one of the most enigmatic and powerful men in the world, can only be compared to the series of conversations between David Frost and Richard Nixon we now refer to as “The Nixon Interviews” of 1977.

The book will also contain references and sources that give readers a deeper understanding of the topics covered in the interviews and make for a more robust reading experience.

Academy Award-winning Oliver Stone has written and directed over 25 feature films and 6 documentaries, among them some of the most influential and iconic films of the last decades. Some have been at deep odds with conventional myth—films such as Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, JFK, Natural Born Killers, Nixon, and Untold History of the United States.

“Oliver Stone’s unprecedented interviews with Vladimir Putin will be a revelation to anyone influenced by the mass media’s years of demonizing Russia’s leader. The discussions in this book range from the personal to the political, from Russia to America, from little-known episodes to today’s international headlines. The Putin who emerges is deeply committed to Russia’s national interests, but in ways that should make him America’s essential national security partner—not, as is so often insisted, its ‘No. 1 enemy.’ Indeed, anyone concerned by the many crises afflicting our world today should seize this opportunity to hear directly from the most consequential national leader of the early twenty-first century.” —Stephen F. Cohen, Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies & Politics, New York University and Princeton University

“A historic and immensely important series of interviews…The central query in the Stone-Putin interviews is how matters [between the US and Russia] devolved to the current state of tension, and thus they are compelling as a key text for understanding this dangerous time…a point of suspicion and hostility not witnessed since the end of the Cold War…A rare candid glimpse into the mind of the powerful, both the ruler and the artist.” —From the Foreword by Robert Scheer, journalist and author of eight books, including They Know Everything About You

“Oliver Stone’s The Putin Interviews is a desperately-needed antidote to the anti-Russia hysteria gripping the US. When one takes the opportunity to spend time with Vladimir Putin through the interviews, one cannot help but see his humanity, intelligence, and complete lack of antipathy towards the US. Indeed, Putin constantly refers to the US as a ‘partner,’ and, in a humorous twist, frequently chides Stone for being too critical of the United States. After reading this book, one will wonder why we cannot view Russia in turn as a partner and a friend, especially at a time when our country is so in need of both.” —Daniel Kovalik, labor and human rights lawyer and the author of The Plot to Scapegoat Russia


Praise for Oliver Stone:

"An uncommonly eloquent and informed artist who doesn’t back down from his opinions."—Miami Herald

"Stone’s work…does succeed in reorienting our perspective."—New York Times

"[Oliver Stone has] seized the zeitgeist, drive then conversation, inspired controversy."—Variety

"Remarkable."—Rotten Tomatoes

"Rabid gifts as a filmmaker."—Rolling Stone