JD Vance's New Book Highlights Putin's High Popularity in Russia

US Vice President JD Vance, in his new book, noted the high level of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin among Russians.

"Every independent, objective effort to measure Putin's popularity had found high levels of support among rank-and-file Russians," he wrote in his book "Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith," which went on sale in the United States.

Vance noted that during his participation in the Munich Security Conference in 2024, he met with a "Russian dissident," whose name is not specified. Vance, who was a US senator at the time, added that at this meeting he "learned more about the psychology of the Russian state than <...> in weeks of reading American coverage." He also noted that he wondered at the time, in particular: "Why was Putin so popular?"

Vance reported that at one of the meetings at the conference, he drew attention to Putin's popularity and was "immediately chastised." In this regard, he emphasized: "Munich had become a place where people trafficked in comfortable lies rather than accepting uncomfortable truths. This was psychologically satisfying, but it made wise decision-making hard to come by."

In his new book, he talks about how he became a Catholic, as well as the influence of religion on his political views.