In a speech on Friday, President Vladimir Putin took a hard line against the West, claiming it was “inevitable and necessary” to go to war in Ukraine.
He also denied that Russia is responsible for the high inflation in the world.
Whoever talks about “Putin’s inflation” can neither read nor write. The president claims that the Russian operation in the Donbass has nothing to do with it.
The speech had to be delayed for more than an hour after a massive hacker attack on a major economic conference in Saint Petersburg, Putin’s hometown.
The president made a number of attacks, especially against the United States:
The United States can steal other people’s money at any time when they don’t like something. Putin claims that this is an objective analysis – referring to the sanctions imposed on Russian individuals and companies. Putin believes that the sanctions also provide “new opportunities” for the country. He’s encouraging Russians to invest in their home countries – and he thinks what happened this spring shows it’s safer than spending money abroad.
– You didn’t hit
The bleak prospects of the Russian economy (from the West) were not fulfilled, Putin stated in the speech.
– The economic blitzkrieg against Russia did not succeed – nor did it have a chance of success, says the president, who claims that the West tried to crush the Russian economy.
He describes Western sanctions as crazy and stupid. Putin also believes that the United States, “after declaring victory in the Cold War, declared its interests sacred.”
“Anyone who continues to cooperate with Russia will be subjected to pressure and even threats,” Putin said in a speech in St. Petersburg.
Putin reiterated that “the special operation in Ukraine will end according to plan” and that it was absolutely necessary to protect the residents of the Donbass region.
Putin also claims that Russia possesses unparalleled hypersonic weapons.
Follow the war day in and day out in VG Show Ukraine
The president is also concerned about fertilizer prices – and believes there is no reason for the price hikes the world has seen in the past six months. He warns that a fertilizer shortage could push up food prices on the world market.
– Russia has not mined the Ukrainian ports, so the grain cannot be transported, Putin claims in response to accusations to the contrary.
In the speech, Putin also spoke of Russia’s desire to take the lead in culture, sports, and in the humanitarian sphere. He did not provide details of how this happened.
Penalties
Ukraine has five or six different ways of exporting grain. It is the authorities in Kyiv that decide how this will happen, claims the Russian president, who also stated that “the West continues to supply Ukraine with weapons.”
The president also speaks of a “new world order” and that it should be defined by “strong and sovereign states”.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that the president personally acted on the speech, which had previously been met with great interest.
The United States and European countries have imposed a number of sanctions on Russian and Russian companies since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
In Saint Petersburg, Putin also spoke about how important it is for the Russian auto industry to retain its technological experts.
“It is necessary to have a level of experts to ensure technological sovereignty,” Putin said.
– This does not mean that all production in the automobile industry must be carried out in Russia, but important things such as technology and knowledge must be Russian, says the president.
On Thursday, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov suggested that Russian cars should now be driven in a Russian-made Lada – instead of Western car brands.
Siluanov himself believes that Russia needs a doctrine of technological security – in the same way when it comes to food security.
Note: Putin says the four percent inflation target is close at hand in Russia.
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