Funny, if you go watch the youtube videos he predicates his talk on 'Putien never lied'. I'm just going off of his public speeches on youtube, but maybe that contradict his other works.
You got to be kidding me? This is your takeaway? He's known as a Realist IR Scholar. One of the core tenants of Realist IR is the concept of Sphere's of Influence. Next you'll be telling me Biden is Left Wing.
If you build your premise on a liar never lied then yes, my takeaway is to stop listening to you.