Kreml boss Vladimir Putin has once again defended the war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine, which was ordered more than six months ago, as allegedly necessary to protect Russia. “I can say that the main gain is the strengthening of our sovereignty – and that is an inevitable result of what is happening right now,” Putin said on Wednesday at the 7th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on the Pacific. Referring to the war, he added: “We haven’t lost anything and won’t lose anything.”
Numerous state guests had traveled to the event in Vladivostok, including Myanmar’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, but also a high-ranking representative of China’s state party.
Sanctions “Danger to the whole world”
Russian troops invaded Ukraine at the end of February. At the time, Putin justified the war, which in Russia is simply referred to as a “special military operation”, with the alleged “liberation” of Ukraine from nationalists, among other things. In addition, Moscow repeatedly claims that Ukraine would otherwise have attacked Russia. Putin made similar comments on Wednesday, saying: “After many attempts to solve this problem peacefully, Russia has decided to respond to the actions of our potential enemy in a mirror-inverted way: by armed means. We did that consciously.”
Putin sharply criticized the sanctions imposed by the West – and at the same time declared them to have failed. They are short-sighted and a danger to the entire world. The West has been hollowing out the world economy in an aggressive attempt to assert its international dominance. This attempt was in vain, because the world is increasingly oriented towards Asia, Putin emphasized at the forum focused on investments in Russia’s Far East.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the USA, the EU, Great Britain and other countries imposed the harshest punitive measures against Russia. Putin said Wednesday the Russian economy was defying sanctions, which he described as Western financial and technological aggression. At the same time, the President also admitted that there were difficulties in some sectors and regions. Companies that depend on supplies from Europe are struggling, Putin said.
Putin also warned of growing problems in global food markets that could have catastrophic consequences for many people. Russia has done everything so that Ukraine can export grain, Putin stressed. But the grain does not go to the poorest regions of the world, but to the EU. The developing countries would be betrayed. Mediated by the United Nations and Turkey, Russia and Ukraine agreed in July that grain carriers could once again safely depart from Black Sea ports. Putin said he wanted to talk to Turkey about changing the deal.
