On April 23, 2007, The first president of Russia, Yeltsin, died suddenly in Moscow.
The news came out, the world was shocked, and many countries sent condolences to Russia to mourn the "discredited" Russian leader.
After Yeltsin's death, Putin held a solemn funeral for him in Moscow, and many countries sent high-level representatives to attend Yeltsin's funeral.
The most striking of these were probably the two former Presidents of the United States who led the US delegation to the funeral: George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
In the pictures recorded by the media, bush and Clinton were accompanied by the then Russian president, Putin.
As for why Bush Sr. and Clinton personally came to yeltsin's funeral site, there are still many opinions...
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >, the disreputable Yeltsin</h1>
After the signing of the Belovezh Agreement, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the resignation of Gorbachev, Yeltsin became a leader with mixed reputations in the eyes of the Russian people.
Especially at that time, under the premise of the rapid decline of the Russian economy, the living standards of the residents were also constantly regressing, so many Russians believed that it was Yeltsin's reasons that led to today's bad environment.
In fact, Yeltsin also did a lot of "struggles".
As Russia's first president, Yeltsin tried to turn to the West for help, wanted to use "shock therapy" like Bolivia to save the long-collapsed Russian economy, and in the eight years in office, he tried his best to revitalize Russia.
Because of this, in the mouths of the Russian media, Yeltsin did leave some good political achievements.
For example, a good market economy system has been established in Russia, a system of democracy and freedom in Russia has been improved, and so on.
However, one of the most interesting "achievements" of these achievements is that the media has even divided the matter of "appointing Putin as the next president".
On December 31, 1999, Yeltsin announced his resignation, handing over the presidency and the nuclear key to Russia's strategic forces to Putin, then 47.
After his retirement, Yeltsin still interacted closely with Western countries many times, and had many contacts with then US President Clinton, and was even called "Santa Claus" in the Western media.
However, due to his age, Yeltsin suffered a heart attack in 2003, and after four years of lying ill, on April 23, 2007, due to heart failure, Yeltsin died unexpectedly.
Before Yeltsin's death, there were many rumors in Russia that Yeltsin's so-called heart disease was just a pretext, but in fact, it was Yeltsin's alcoholism that was hidden.
From later medical records, Yeltsin's body began to have problems as early as the early 1980s.
Until he ascended to the presidency, in addition to his bad heart, Yeltsin successively suffered from liver disease, stomach disease, and even lung disease, and as for other parts of the body, it was also a small problem;
In 1996, Yeltsin underwent heart surgery at a medical center in Russia.
Although the surgery was successful at the time, Yeltsin's health deteriorated.
After that, in order to recuperate, Yeltsin had to go to his villa on the outskirts of Moscow every three to five minutes to spend several days alone in peace.
It is worth mentioning that after his retirement, Yeltsin also traveled to China to learn simple martial arts to nourish his body.
He even received treatment in China for a period of time, and said that he was very satisfied with the growing close relations between China and Russia and the friendly friendship between the people.
Perhaps, physical reasons have also become one of the reasons why he has handed over the heavy responsibility to Putin.
However, after his retirement, Yeltsin's health did not improve with the unloading of the burden, and heart disease threatened his body all the time, and eventually took his life.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > ii, Yeltsin's funeral</h1>
After Yeltsin's death, many countries expressed their condolences.
Germany's foreign minister said: "The eight years of Yeltsin's leadership over Russia were a decisive eight years for Russia. We are very sorry for the news of Yeltsin's death. ”
A Spokesman for the British Foreign Office said: "We are very sad that in 1991 Yeltsin showed great courage in the face of the challenge and he led Russia through the crisis. ”
Then French President Jacques Chirac said: "Yeltsin is committed to peace, and he will be remembered by us as the person who forged a new partnership with Europe." ”
Inside Russia, someone else commented: "I can't help but feel sad. No matter what he did, there would be no Russia without him. ”
Whatever his assessment during his lifetime, after his death, Yeltsin's coffin was placed on the banks of the Moscow River in the dignified and solemn Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
From the afternoon of April 24, the cathedral began to allow people to go to mourning, until putin held a state funeral on the 25th.
In fact, this place of stopping is also very cleverly chosen.
The white-gold-roofed Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer was burned down, and after Yeltsin became president, he presided over its reconstruction.
At this solemn funeral, many important people also attended.
Among them were Russian President Vladimir Putin, Then First Deputy Prime Minister Ivanov and Medvedev, former Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and heads of state or former heads of state of the United Kingdom and Ukraine.
Among them, as the representative of the United States, is Clinton, who was in power at the same time as Yeltsin, and Clinton's last term, Bush Sr.
After the funeral, Yeltsin's coffin was sent to the New Virgin Cemetery three miles away for burial.
In this new virgin cemetery, many great Russian artists are buried, as well as the wives of former Soviet leader Khrushchev and Gorbachev.
Before the burial, two members of the honor guard removed the Russian flag from the coffin, and Yeltsin's daughter kissed Yeltsin on the cheek for the last time.
Subsequently, amid the slow sound of the Russian national anthem and salute, the coffin was placed in a pre-dug tomb by eight members of the honor guard.
However, the most remarkable thing about this funeral is that the United States sent two former presidents at the same time.
The simultaneous arrival of these two former presidents undoubtedly became the focus of Yeltsin's funeral.
They stood behind the then Russian President Vladimir Putin and solemnly attended the funeral.
As for why they came at the same time, some media analysis believes that it is because both of them are "inextricably linked" with Yeltsin.
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > three, the "friend" attitude conveyed by two former presidents</h1>
The first is Bush Sr.
Although the elder Bush stepped down in 1992, as one of the black hands involved in the "dismemberment" of the Soviet Union, the elder Bush and Yeltsin must have had a lot of intersection.
Especially when Yeltsin had not yet been promoted to president, the elder Bush also opened a lot of convenient doors for Yeltsin to visit the United States, so that the Russian learned a lot of so-called "Western economic models."
Behind this, of course, is the insidious attempt of the United States to spare no effort to promote the collapse of the Soviet Union.
As for Clinton, the intersection with Yeltsin is even more.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and Clinton took office, Yeltsin was still "naïve" to believe that without the Soviet Union, the Western countries would accept a new Russia.
So he didn't hesitate to send a signal of assistance to the United States that "welcomes" himself.
And Clinton did extend a "helping" hand to Yeltsin.
He not only publicly expressed his approval of Yeltsin, but also sent experts in the fields of economy, science and technology to help Russia carry out Western "shock therapy."
Even when Russia revised and formulated a new constitution, professors and experts from Harvard in the United States helped.
With clinton's "help," the Russian economy at the time went all the way down, and Yeltsin's reputation at home also plummeted.
After this, Yeltsin, who realized that "shock therapy" under the Western economic system might not be useful, began to study how to learn from the Argentine economic system under the "guidance" of Clinton.
However, under the opposition of other high-level russian powers at that time, Yeltsin's temptation to completely destroy Russia this time was finally abruptly stopped.
Although the elder Bush and Clinton repeatedly "laid down" Yeltsin, Yeltsin was already in the midst of leading a new Russia to explore and try to find a suitable path for the country's development.
Therefore, For the "help" of the two US presidents, Yeltsin paid the greatest trust, and the three became "political friends".
In addition, the presence of Bush Sr. bush and Clinton at the same time also represented another signal: as an international power at that time, and even a world hegemon, the United States was "dissatisfied" with the then Russian President Putin.
In fact, Putin, who later took office by Yeltsin, cannot be regarded as a president that Western countries "like":
Although in the first few years of Putin's tenure, he also continued the "Yeltsin style" for a period of time, that is, "obedience to Western countries";
However, with the passage of time, Putin gradually saw the true intentions of Western countries and gradually became strong, which could not help but make the United States feel the crisis.
Therefore, at Yeltsin's funeral, the United States sent two former presidents with whom Yeltsin had good relations, which also conveyed a subtle meaning to the Russian top level, including Putin, that is, not to be so "strong":
"If you are willing to stand with the United States, then you will be our 'friend' like Yeltsin."
However, if the two presidents of the United States at that time knew that after more than a decade, Putin was still sitting on the throne of the Russian president, I don't know what he would think...
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > four, how to "stand firm" in the United States, which is hostile on all sides</h1>
At that time, the United States, as the hegemon, could still express an attitude of looking at all sentient beings.
But now, as Putin's attitude has become more and more assertive, the relationship between the United States and Russia has gradually become cold.
Today, U.S.-Russia relations have almost fallen to a freezing point.
Although in mid-June this year, there was a six-hour talk between the presidents of Russia and the United States.
However, starting with a few days ago when a number of US senators demanded the expulsion of Russian diplomats, relations between the United States and Russia seem to be repeatedly chilling.
Especially some time ago, the American B-52H nuclear bomber also approached the Russian border, and the American bomber gradually flew away after the Russian pilots flew for a period of time.
However, this naked provocation is also enough to represent that the relationship between the United States and Russia is not as "calm" as the two sides claim.
If the situation escalates further in the future, then meeting the United States and Russia may be a new and huge challenge.
After the epidemic, there was no small rift between the United States and its European allies.
Although in the past, the attitude of the United States towards EU personnel was very "high".
However, at that time, the United States was in the center of the world stage, so it was still able to suppress and even instigate some European countries as "pawns" for the United States to borrow power.
However, when the United States now falls from the altar, how to save the relationship with the European Union has also become one of the urgent problems that the United States needs to solve.
Coupled with the not-so-harmonious relationship between China and the United States and Russia, in the future, how the United States, which is hostile on all sides, will regain its "foothold" in the international arena may become a new challenge facing the United States.