Russia's former top diplomat says the West's previous appeasement of Putin has made him 'delusional'

• Russia's former top diplomat says the West's past appeasement of Putin has made him "delusional."
• Andrei Kozyrev called for more sanctions and weapons deliveries to Ukraine during a CNN interview.

Russia's former foreign minister said the West's past appeasement of President Vladimir Putin has made him "delusional" amid his ongoing war against Ukraine.

"[Putin] is kind of delusional now, partly because of the long story of Western — including French — appeasement policy," Andrei Kozyrev said in an interview with CNN that aired on Thursday.

His comments came in response to a question about Putin's phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier on Thursday, which left Macron thinking "the worst is yet to come" in Ukraine, according to a senior French official.

Kozyrev, who was Russia's first foreign minister under Boris Yeltsin during the early-to-mid 1990s after the Soviet Union collapsed, said there needs to be "more severe sanctions now and more weapons delivery to Ukraine now."

Kozyrev also called on Russian diplomats to resign from their posts. He said he thinks the message will resonate, but is unsure if it will have any impact.

Last week, Kozyrev spoke out against current Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after the White House announced it would sanction Putin and Lavrov.

"Lavrov, rightfully sanctioned by the US and EU today, was my deputy in the 90s. Used to have my back," former Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev wrote on Twitter. "Today, I would watch my back if he was behind me."

With one week now having passed since Putin ordered Russian troops to attack Ukraine, Kozyrev on Thursday said people in Russia will begin asking questions about the war, especially younger children and teenagers.

"Hey father, mother, what is going on?" he said. "What are you actually representing — what are you defending, this kind of barbarity?"

Russia on Tuesday, however, said it planned to force schoolchildren to watch a broadcast about the government's justification for the Ukrainian invasion.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.