Address by Zoom to the 15th International Sakharov Conference ‘Pulling back from the abyss’. Vilnius, Lithuania, 21-22 May 2025.

“Never forget that the causal link between holding power and aberrant behaviour is proven. Power is a heady drug, which not every leader has the necessary rooted character to counteract. To do so requires a combination of common sense, humour, decency, scepticism and even cynicism that treats power for what it is – a privileged opportunity to influence, and sometimes to determine, with skill and patience, the turn of events.”

Read the full text here