Russian president Vladimir Putin has a real "winning" mindset which contrasts greatly to the inefficient policies put forward by Western powers, according to a U.K. political strategist.
"I'm afraid whether we like it or not, he's a winner," author and journalist Alastair Campbell told CNBC Wednesday.
Campbell was primarily known as the director of communications of the Labour Party -- including the time Tony Blair was prime minister between 1997 and 2003. He is known in the U.K. as the man who built the reputation of Blair and played a key role alongside him during his early years in power.
He said that Putin's core objectives are far more thought-out than other world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama. He said that Western nations had a tendency to offer piecemeal responses to their aims, whereas Putin had a clear idea to resurrect the reputation of the Russian Federation on the global stage.
"Of course it's easier when you control the media and you do all the terrible things that he does, but it's not enough to just say that he is a bad man, the West does have to have a strategy to respond," he said.
"I think his long term objective is to regain Russian power and Russian strength and actually his strategy is Russian power and Russian strength and he's just pushing it as far as he can."
Russia has been accused of aiding and fighting alongside pro-Moscow separatists in the east of Ukraine. A bloody conflict in the Donbass region has pitched Ukraine troops against the rebels and fighting has continued despite a supposed cease-fire signed earlier in the month. Russia has continued to deny its involvement in the conflict.
On Tuesday, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron announced that British military personnel would be sent to the region to provide training and advice to the governmental troops. Campbell called this indicative of the type of responses that global leaders have given to the ongoing situation in Ukraine.
"It feels like a kind of tactical response to a leader, Putin, who does have a very clear sense of his own strategy," he said.
"Like I say it may fail because he may overreach himself but we have been sort of saying that for quite a few years."