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Outside Russia, Vladimir Putin is rarely known for being a good talker. We're more likely to see him horseback riding (while shirtless) or flying with migratory birds. Indeed, Putin is a do-er, not a talker. Which is why when he does talk, it's still described as a much more active verb by the time it ends up on YouTube. The above video from a Russian summit in October, went viral earlier this month and is again making the rounds in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, shows according to YouTube video titles Putin "crushing" a BBC "smartass".

The video has racked up more than 4 million views for a good reason. It offers a version of history that is easy to follow and seems unexpected coming from a major international leader.

"Who armed the Syrians who were fighting with Assad? Who pushed for delivery of arms to the area? Do you really not understanding who is fighting in Syria?" Putin asks, in response to a Western journalist's question. Over the next seven minutes he goes on to explain his view of what is going on in Syria.

He blames mercenaries, armed by the West, for fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and says those hired guns have now switched over to the Islamic State because it is extracting oil and has more money to pay them. "[America] must support civilised, democratic opposition in Syria. So you support them, arm them and tomorrow they join ISIS," Putin said. "We don't support this kind of politics."

The Russian president then takes it a step further. He asks the journalist to tell her government that the United States must "rise above the endless desire to dominate" and stop "acting out of imperialistic ambitions."

Putin's words make sense, especially considering the American vilification of Russian airstrikes in Syria even though the US itself has been shoddily intervening in the conflict all along. But it is also tone-deaf. Because, if Putin simply replaces the Syrian and Libyan examples in his speech with Georgian and the Ukraine, it almost sounds as if he is talking to himself.