The Russian president also stated that the goal of the invasion of Ukraine was to protect breakaway regions and end military action against them.
An economic forum in a remote Russian city was the setting chosen by Russian President Vladimir Putin to launch some of his strongest statements about the war in Ukraine and the global geopolitical situation unleashed after the invasion.
Throughout his presentation, Putin threatened to completely cut off power to the West if a project of the European Union to put a ceiling on the price of imports advances (a decision that he described as “stupid”), he affirmed that the military campaign in Ukraine is actually defensive, and mocked the Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to former US President Barack Obama.
“If they violate the contracts, we have no problem stopping the supply of energy”
Speaking at the annual Eastern Economy Forum in the country’s far eastern port city of Vladivostok, Putin said the European Union’s plan to cap Russian oil and gas prices is a “stupid” idea. ” that “It will only lead to higher prices”.
“Any attempt is to limit prices by administrative means it’s just delirium, pure nonsense”Putin said. “If they try to enforce that foolish decision, it won’t bring anything good to those who make it.”
He warned that such an EU measure would represent a clear violation of existing contracts and that Russia could respond by turning off the taps.
“Will they make political decisions in violation of the contracts?” he continued. “In such a case, we will stop the provision if it contradicts our economic interests. We will not supply them with gas, oil, diesel or coal.”
The Russian president said that Moscow will have no problem getting customers in Asia to divert its European exports. “There is such a demand in global markets that we will have no problem selling it,” he said.
According to Putin, the goal in Ukraine was “to put an end to military action”
Regarding Ukraine, Putin insisted that the main objective of sending troops was to protect the civilian population in the east of that country after eight years of fighting.
“It was not we who initiated the military action, we are trying to put an end to it” Putin said, reaffirming his argument that he sent soldiers to the neighboring country to protect separatist regions, which are supported by Moscow, fighting with kyiv’s forces in a conflict that erupted in 2014 after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. .
“All our actions have been aimed at help people living in DonbasIt is our duty and we will fulfill it until the end,” he added.
Putin affirmed that “Russia has resisted the aggression of the West” and has strengthened its sovereignty
Putin said that Russia has strengthened its sovereignty in the face of Western sanctions, which he said border on aggression.
“Russia has resisted the economic, financial and technological aggression of the West,” he said. “I am sure that we have not lost anything and we will not lose anything. The most important benefit is the strengthening of our sovereigntyit is an inevitable result of what is happening”.
According to Putin, Russia’s economy and financial situation has stabilized, consumer price inflation has slowed down and unemployment has remained low.
“There has been a certain polarization in the world and within the country, but I consider it positive,” he added. the soberand”.
In addition, he stressed that Russia will continue to protect its sovereignty against what he described as a attempt by the United States and its allies to preserve their global dominance and said that “the world should not base itself on the dictates of a country that considers itself a representative of the Almighty (…) and bases its policies on its supposed exclusivity.”
The Russian president rejected the European Union’s argument that his country is using energy as a weapon by cutting off gas supplies to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
Putin reaffirmed the Russian argument that Western sanctions have hampered the maintenance of the last remaining turbine, which forced the closure. And he repeated that Moscow is ready to “push the button” and start pumping to send gas “from tomorrow” through Nord Stream 2, which has been paralyzed by the German authorities.
“What did Barack Obama do to help protect the peace?”
In a passage of his presentation, Putin also referred to journalist Dmitry Muratov, the Editorial Secretary of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, whose license to operate was withdrawn by the government. Muratov, a staunch critic of the Kremlin, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021.
the russian president described the award given to Muratov as “political”and compared it to the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Barack Obama in 2009.
“We had business relations with President Obama, but why did they give him the Nobel Prize?” Putin said.
“What did you do to help protect the peace? I am referring to those military operations in some regions of the world that the president carried out,” he added.
Source: AP
We would love to say thanks to the author of this post for this outstanding material
Strong statements by Vladimir Putin: he threatened a total power cut, described a European initiative as ‘stupid’ and mocked Obama’s Nobel Prize