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It was once an important international stage for Russia. Now the Valdai Discussion Club, held annually in Sochi since 2004, is just a propaganda show among regime loyalists. This autumn, the Russian elite gathered again in the luxurious holiday resort on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. War President Vladimir Putin (70) prepared the story at his own discretion on Thursday. Putin made it clear that he sees his Russia as the truly leading nation in the world – one that will bring lasting peace.
Putin claimed that the West had caused the conflict in Ukraine in 2014. NATO expansion, Putin repeats, threatens Russian security. Russia is simply laying down its principles for a new multipolar world order. The United Nations and modern international law are “outdated and being dismantled.” In other words, Putin invaded Ukraine so that the world would be a better place.
With his Valdai statements, the Kremlin leader once again made it clear: his objectives in Ukraine go beyond the conquest of a limited additional territory. Putin explicitly said that the conflict in Ukraine was not a “territorial conflict.” As the largest country in the world by area, Russia does not need more areas: “The problem is much broader and more fundamental and concerns the principles underlying the new international order.”
Putin is essentially claiming self-defense
Russia must put an end to the West’s “endless expansion,” Putin said on the Valdai stage: “We are forced to respond to ever-increasing military and political pressure. I have often said that we were not the ones who started the so-called ‘war in Ukraine’. On the contrary, we are trying to put an end to it.”
Significantly, Putin used the word “war” again. The intruder has been trying to avoid the term as much as possible since the start of the so-called special military operation in February 2022. In December he made a single slip of the tongue. Now he has again called the conflict a war, accusing the West as the aggressor.
And he used the term several times: “This war, which the Kiev regime started with the active and direct support of the West,” Putin said, “has been going on for more than nine years now, and the special military operation of Russia is focused on ending it.” Putin cites the Maidan Revolution in Kiev as the trigger for the war, which Moscow used to invade the Donbass. Since then, Russia has “done its best” to protect and protect the Ukrainian people supports.
No to violence and dictatorships…
In his digression, Putin almost veered into the absurd. He wants the new world order, led by Russia: “A lasting peace will only be possible if everyone feels safe,” says Putin. “Russia was, is and will be one of the foundations of this new world system.”
Russia is “ready for constructive interaction with all those who strive for peace and prosperity, but also ready for strong resistance against those who profess the principles of dictatorship and violence.”
According to Putin, he believes that under Russia’s leadership, “pragmatism and common sense will prevail and a multipolar world will emerge.”
ISW: There is no other path to peace than the clear defeat of Russia
An analysis by the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) recently presented the reasons for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. His main goal is the division of the NATO countries – and ultimately the destruction of the military alliance.
For the ISW experts it is clear: “There is no other way to achieve peace than to inflict a clear military defeat on Russia. This war can only end when Putin knows he cannot win.”
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
