1 - The old world
order is gone with the wind
When the US declared victory in the Cold War, Americans
designated themselves the "messengers of God on earth," with
interests that should be considered sacred and no obligations,
Putin told the audience at SPIEF.
New centers of power
have since emerged, and have the right to protect their own
systems, economic models, and sovereignty.
These,
"truly
revolutionary, tectonic changes in geopolitics, the global
economy, in the technological sphere, in the entire system
of international relations," are "fundamental, pivotal and
inexorable," Putin said.
"And it is a
mistake to suggest that one can wait out the times of
turbulent change and that things will return to normal; that
everything will be as it was.
It will not..."
2 -
Anti-Russian sanctions backfired on the West
When the US and its allies launched the campaign to "cancel"
Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, they hoped to crash and
undermine the Russian economy and society.
The sanctions have
instead boomeranged on their creators, aggravating social and
economic problems, driving up the cost of food, electricity and
fuel, and hurting the quality of life across the West, but
especially in Europe.
"The European
Union has completely lost its political sovereignty, and its
bureaucratic elites are dancing to someone else's tune,
accepting whatever they are told from above, causing harm to
their own population and their own economy," Putin said.
EU citizens will pay
the price for,
"decisions
divorced from reality and taken contrary to common sense,"
...he added, as
direct losses from the sanctions alone could exceed $400 billion
in one year.
3 - Energy prices and inflation are self-inflicted
Blaming the high energy prices and inflation in the West on
Russia...
"Putin's price
hike," as the White House put it, is "stupidity" and
"designed for people who can't read or write," the Russian
president said.
"Don't blame us, blame yourselves," Putin said.
The EU "blindly
believing in renewable sources" and abandoning long-term natural
gas contracts with Russia led to the spike in energy prices last
year, according to the Russian leader.
Meanwhile, both the
US and the EU addressed the Covid-19 pandemic by printing
trillions of dollars and euros.
4 - 'Elite
change' awaits the West
Policies undertaken by EU and US leaders are exacerbating
inequalities and divisions in their societies, not just in terms
of welfare but in terms of values and orientations of various
groups, Putin said.
"Such a
detachment from reality, from the demands of society, will
inevitably lead to a surge of populism and the growth of
radical movements, to serious social and economic changes,
to degradation and, in the near future, to a change of
elites," the Russian leader said.
5 - If
there's a famine, it won't be Russia's fault
US and EU sanctions on Russia - in particular fertilizer and
grain exports - are one of the reasons for growing global food
insecurity, Putin pointed out.
If there is famine in
the world's poorest countries,
"this will be
entirely on the conscience of the US administration and the
European bureaucracy."
Troubles with food
supply have arisen over the past several years - not months -
due to the,
"short-sighted
actions of those who are accustomed to solving their
problems at someone else's expense," distorting the trade
flows by printing money in a sort of "predatory colonial
policy," Putin said.
Russia is ready to
send food to Africa and the Middle East, where the threat of
famine is most acute, but faces "logistical, financial,
transport" obstacles imposed by the West, he said.
6 -
Reasons for the Ukraine conflict
Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February because the West
refused to abide by its obligations, and it was,
"simply
impossible to reach any new agreements with them," Putin
said.
The decision was
"forced, but necessary," as Russia had every right as a
sovereign country to defend its security and protect its
citizens and residents of Donbass from,
"genocide by the
Kiev regime and neo-Nazis who received the full protection
of the West."
The West spent years
turning Ukraine into an "anti-Russia" state and pumping it with
weapons and military advisers, Putin said, pointing out they,
"did not give a
damn" about Ukraine's economy or the lives of its people,
but "spared no expense to create a NATO foothold in the
east, directed against Russia, to cultivate aggression,
hatred and Russophobia."
"All the objectives of the special military operation will
be unconditionally achieved," Putin said.
7 -
Economic development is an expression of sovereignty
In the 21st century, sovereignty can't be partial,
Putin argued.
All of its elements
are equally important and complement each other, and the economy
is one of them. There are five key principles Russia will follow
in economic development:
Openness,
freedom, social justice, infrastructure, and technological
sovereignty.
Russia will,
"never follow the
path of self-isolation and autarky," but will expand
interactions with anyone who wishes to trade, Putin said,
adding there are "many such countries."
Moscow will also
support private enterprise, build and repair its transportation
infrastructure, seek to reduce social inequality, and ensure its
key technologies are not dependent on foreign imports.
"Truly sovereign
states are always committed to equal partnerships," while
"those who are weak and dependent, as a rule, are busy
looking for enemies, planting xenophobia, or finally losing
their originality, independence, blindly following the
overlord," he said.
