"When Putin was a student in the KGB university, he was perfect in a subject called 'verbovka.' In Russian, that means recruiting new agents. So he's perfect in manipulation of people." -Former Latvian President Valdis Zatlers

President Valdis Zatlers served as Latvia’s head of state from 2007-2011, a period that coincided with the global financial crisis that hit Latvia arguably harder than any country in the world. President Zatlers also was the first and only Latvian leader to visit Moscow on a state visit, where he gained first-hand knowledge of what drives President Putin and how the Russian leader engages with his counterparts. President Zatlers offers insights into how he sees the war in Ukraine developing in the months ahead and fascinating vignettes from a career that includes not only affairs of state, but also serving as a surgeon responding to the disaster at Chernobyl in 1986.