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Be Sure to Visit All 3 World United Websites for a different perspective in the World of News, Music and Awakening Topics.Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.comBlogger4717125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-58355142258667590142024-03-18T05:57:00.000-04:002024-03-18T05:57:11.995-04:00Russian Election - Key takeaways from Putin's victory speech<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXKRFnw937UiB88U5vIpjv6j47rKxWkanj34E6UTl0RvDxUSOBnVxjtgnnMkX0BrRB1Njd-hZR0vZrhaftiOxPDTGF5Il2YtoJJT2RBPWw7VqmwrlfKXEHJSLSDW3BAvQC-iUE5H4NO93ouOYcq9o0-PSpR4VBR8s0jK2WEBSKzT9GNuF_NqHKhxXsdc/s1240/Russian%20Election%20-%20Key%20takeaways%20from%20Putin's%20victory%20speech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="1240" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXKRFnw937UiB88U5vIpjv6j47rKxWkanj34E6UTl0RvDxUSOBnVxjtgnnMkX0BrRB1Njd-hZR0vZrhaftiOxPDTGF5Il2YtoJJT2RBPWw7VqmwrlfKXEHJSLSDW3BAvQC-iUE5H4NO93ouOYcq9o0-PSpR4VBR8s0jK2WEBSKzT9GNuF_NqHKhxXsdc/w640-h360/Russian%20Election%20-%20Key%20takeaways%20from%20Putin's%20victory%20speech.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>© Sputnik / Gavriil Grigorov</i></b></div><br /><b style="font-size: large;">Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/594403-putin-victory-speech-recap/" target="_blank">RT</a></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The head of state thanked the people of Russia for their trust and support after the three-day election. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">President Vladimir Putin has addressed the people of Russia following a historic election victory with over 87% of the vote in his favor, amid a record-high turnout. Here are the key takeaways from his speech and a question-and-answer session at campaign headquarters in Moscow on Sunday night. </span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">[01] Putin’s dream </span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“I dreamed of a strong, independent, sovereign Russia,” Putin told the audience, expressing his hope that the results of the vote “will allow us all, together with the Russian people, to achieve these goals.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>[02] Record election results </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The citizens of Russia realize the dramatic situation the country is going through and understand that much depends on them, Putin said. <br /><br />“Due to the current situation, due to the fact that we have to literally defend the interests of our citizens, our people with weapons in our hands, to create a future for the full-fledged, sovereign, secure development of the Russian Federation, our homeland.” <br /><br />This year’s election was marked by a record-high voter turnout of over 74%, with Putin winning over 87% of the vote. The Russian president stressed that while the results would be good for a mono-ethnic state – for a multi-ethnic country like Russia they are “uniquely exceptional.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>[03] Future challenges </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Russian leader noted that while the country faces numerous challenges, its people will be up to the task if they remain united. <br /><br />“We have a lot of tasks ahead of us. And when we are united, no one can intimidate or suppress us. No one succeeded at this before, it did not happen now and will never occur in the future.” <br /><br />“We have a huge development agenda, and people felt it in their hearts and came to create conditions for the development and strengthening of their Motherland... the results of the election are a guarantee that these tasks will be accomplished and goals will be reached.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>[04] Border incursions & ‘sanitary zone’ in Ukraine </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Russia has repelled multiple attempts by Ukrainian sabotage groups to break into its territory over the past week, with Putin saying that “the enemy has deployed a group of about five thousand people, and their losses are about 40%.” <br /><br />“And those who crawled into our territory were destroyed almost 100%... If the enemy likes a ‘meat grinder’ – we even benefit from it.” <br /><br />Kiev claimed that the operation was staged by paramilitary units, which portray themselves as collaborator forces composed of Russian defectors and fugitive neo-Nazis. Putin likened the saboteurs to the Vlasov army collaborators who fought under German Nazi command during WWII. <br /><br />“Those traitors, that scum fought on the side of Nazis, and now there are similar people who fight on the side of neo-Nazis,” the president stressed, adding: “We all know how they ended up.” <br /><br />In order to protect its people from cross-border Ukrainian strikes, Russia could at some point be “forced” to set up a buffer zone in Kiev-controlled territories. The Russian forces would establish a “security zone that would be quite difficult for the adversary to overcome with its weapons, primarily of foreign origin,” if and “when we consider it appropriate,” Putin added. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>[05] Talks with Ukraine <br /></b></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Moscow has always favored peace talks, as long as the opponents are serious about establishing good neighborly relations in the long term, not just because “the adversary has run out of ammunition,” Putin said. <br /><br />He added that Russia is ready to consider various scenarios, provided that they align with the national interest. But since Kiev barred talks with the current leadership in Moscow, and President Vladimir Zelensky has no intention to hold elections, it will require “painstaking research” to even figure out “who to negotiate with over there,” Putin noted. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>[06] Conflict with NATO </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Weighing in on the possibility of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, Putin said that “anything is possible in the modern world” and warned that it “would be one step shy of a full-scale World War III.” <br /><br />“I don’t think that anyone is interested in that,” he added, stressing that Moscow was well aware of the US-led military bloc’s push to deploy troops in Ukraine. <br /><br />Putin noted that volunteer fighters from NATO states are facing extremely grim prospects, saying “there is nothing good in this, first of all for them, because they die there and in large numbers.”</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-5873696066038465902024-03-01T05:53:00.006-05:002024-03-01T05:53:59.679-05:00Moscow reacts to Pentagon’s warning of direct Russia-NATO clash<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtablJj1_azr9orWNOkTRg07oDMbNelufDWsLjUGXzKlrfOWNo2iCGwobhR26E13I69WdbCs1jzIcfLTuYU6L5qs3yM4skzLO5lu2FUBmQ8M5f3ZJ5c1b5bwmR5dQVru7f500ljKxIr5x-OnIwoJF0e6OfSLnhARgENyBrasZP_nX96Ps9rVWyCdDsOlU/s1920/Moscow%20reacts%20to%20Pentagon%E2%80%99s%20warning%20of%20direct%20Russia-NATO%20clash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtablJj1_azr9orWNOkTRg07oDMbNelufDWsLjUGXzKlrfOWNo2iCGwobhR26E13I69WdbCs1jzIcfLTuYU6L5qs3yM4skzLO5lu2FUBmQ8M5f3ZJ5c1b5bwmR5dQVru7f500ljKxIr5x-OnIwoJF0e6OfSLnhARgENyBrasZP_nX96Ps9rVWyCdDsOlU/w640-h360/Moscow%20reacts%20to%20Pentagon%E2%80%99s%20warning%20of%20direct%20Russia-NATO%20clash.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p> <b style="font-size: large;">Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/593489-austin-nato-ukraine-zakharova/" target="_blank">RT</a></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The statement by US defense chief Lloyd Austin shows who the real aggressor is, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said<br /><br />A claim by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that NATO and Russia could end up in a direct confrontation if Kiev loses its conflict with Moscow is “mad,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.<br /><br />During a US House Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, Austin suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin “won’t stop” if his forces prevail against Ukraine. Russia’s neighbors in the Baltic region “understand Putin and his capabilities. And frankly, if Ukraine falls, I genuinely believe NATO will be fighting Russia,” the Pentagon chief said.<br /><br />In a post on Telegram later in the day, Zakharova said she wondered whether Austin’s remarks were “a direct threat to Russia or an attempt to come up with an excuse for [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky?”<br /><br />“In both cases, it’s mad,” she insisted. “But now everyone sees who the aggressor is – it’s Washington.”<br /><br />The Pentagon chief’s statement came as Republican lawmakers continue to resist attempts by the administration of US President Joe Biden to push through another $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine. Several lawmakers are demanding that assistance to Kiev be paired with measures to secure the border with Mexico.<br /><br />US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who visited Kiev last week, said Ukraine is currently “losing the war” to Russia. According to Schumer, Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials made it clear to him that “if they don’t get the aid, they will surely lose the war.”<br /><br />On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron hinted that NATO forces could be sent to Ukraine if the situation for Kiev continues to deteriorate. There is “no consensus” among the US-led bloc’s members about deploying troops in Ukraine, but “in terms of dynamics, we cannot exclude anything. We will do everything necessary to prevent Russia from winning this war,” he pledged.<br /><br />In the days since then, the US, Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany and other NATO members have distanced themselves from Macron’s remarks, stressing that there are no plans to use the bloc’s forces in Ukraine.<br /><br />In his address to the Federal Assembly on Thursday, Putin again rejected speculation by the US and its allies that Russia might target NATO states. “The West provoked the conflict in Ukraine... and they continue to lie. Now, without any shame, they say that Russia supposedly intends to attack Europe. We here understand that it’s nonsense,” he stressed.<br />------------------------------</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Pentagon warns of direct Russia-NATO clash</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/593471-nato-fight-russia-austin/" target="_blank">RT</a></b><br /><br /><br />The US defense secretary calls for additional funding for Kiev’s war effort before it’s too late<br /><br />US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has warned eastern NATO members to prepare to fight Russia, claiming that Moscow “will not stop” if it defeats Kiev’s forces.<br /><br />Addressing the US House Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, Austin once again urged lawmakers to approve additional funding for Kiev’s war effort, painting a grim picture for NATO allies.<br /><br />”If you are a Baltic state, you are really worried about whether you are next… And, frankly, if Ukraine falls, I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with Russia,” the Pentagon chief said.<br /><br />Austin went on to claim that “other autocrats around the world will look at this and will be encouraged by the fact that this happened and we failed to support a democracy.”<br /><br />Washington quickly became Kiev’s top backer after Russia launched its military operation in 2022, but the $45 billion war chest has been spent and US assistance all but ground to a halt after Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive failed to make any significant gains.<br /><br />President Vladimir Zelensky reportedly warned last week that his country would “surely lose the war” without continued US support, as a new $60 billion aid package for Kiev faces gridlock in Congress amid Republican opposition.<br /><br />The US military is considering whether to draw on its last remaining $4 billion allocated for Ukraine – even with no assurances the money will be replaced by lawmakers amid fierce debate over renewed aid, multiple officials told CNN.<br /><br />Russia has repeatedly denounced Western arms shipments to Ukraine, warning that they will only prolong the conflict and make the West a direct participant in the hostilities, and stating that all Western-supplied arms would “burn” on the battlefield.<br />-------------------------------------------------------------------</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Related Links: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/593443-putin-west-flirting-nuclear-war/" target="_blank">West flirting with nuclear war – Putin</a><br /><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/593471-nato-fight-russia-austin/" target="_blank">Pentagon warns of direct Russia-NATO clash</a><br /><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/593466-kremlin-britain-role-ukraine/" target="_blank">UK ‘directly involved’ in Ukraine conflict – Kremlin</a><br /><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/593468-macron-ukraine-nato-troops/" target="_blank">Macron stands by remarks on NATO troops in Ukraine</a><br /><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/593390-bild-germany-scenario-russia-nato-attack/" target="_blank">Germany has prepared Russia-NATO conflict scenario – Bild</a><br /><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/592276-german-general-conflict-russia-five-years/" target="_blank">Prepare for conflict with Russia in five years – German general <br /></a><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/592235-stoltenberg-prepare-war-russia/" target="_blank">NATO-Russia confrontation ‘could last decades’ – Stoltenberg <br /></a></span></b><br /> Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-54233504362947850892024-03-01T05:12:00.000-05:002024-03-01T05:12:48.799-05:00Vladimir Putin's Address to the Federal Govt - Feb 29th, 2024 - (Full Transcript)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cUXkaGUIFutmni0RVKzS7ed10MQIKsxNEr0UtyVGecIs06sR44wVExVWjR33pfXHBBWR3wfUFQS2Z7gvB2R7zy3mOmG8NusXJmhWJpRfPq_nFO6FJWmc-nCWSaAhsNdJqHG99nB1Ht9FrjtR8Cjb9fPGbTlfwZ-JqqS-AAq777LMjw0Dfm7jkXI6Jpo/s940/20240229%20-%20Vladimir%20Putin's%20Address%20to%20the%20Federal%20Assembly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="940" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cUXkaGUIFutmni0RVKzS7ed10MQIKsxNEr0UtyVGecIs06sR44wVExVWjR33pfXHBBWR3wfUFQS2Z7gvB2R7zy3mOmG8NusXJmhWJpRfPq_nFO6FJWmc-nCWSaAhsNdJqHG99nB1Ht9FrjtR8Cjb9fPGbTlfwZ-JqqS-AAq777LMjw0Dfm7jkXI6Jpo/w640-h394/20240229%20-%20Vladimir%20Putin's%20Address%20to%20the%20Federal%20Assembly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Source: <a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/73585" target="_blank">Kremlin Russia</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Vladimir Putin delivered his Address to the Federal Assembly. The ceremony took place in Gostiny Dvor, Moscow. <br /><br />President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Senators, State Duma deputies, <br /><br />Citizens of Russia, <br /><br />The primary purpose of every Address to the Federal Assembly is to offer a forward-looking perspective. Today, we will discuss not only our short-term plans, but also our strategic objectives and matters which, I believe, are instrumental in ensuring steady long-term development for our country. <br /><br />This programme of action and the specific measures it includes largely result from my trips to the regions and the conversations I had with workers and engineers at civilian and defence plants, as well as with doctors, teachers, researchers, volunteers, entrepreneurs, large families, with our frontline heroes, volunteers, soldiers and officers of the Russian Armed Forces. Of course, it’s clear that these conversations, these meetings don’t come out of nowhere – they are organised. Still, these exchanges do offer people an opportunity to talk about their pressing needs. Many ideas came from major civil society and expert forums. <br /><br />The proposals submitted by our people, their aspirations and hopes became the foundation, served as the main pillar of the projects and initiatives that will be also announced today, during this Address. It is my hope that public discussion on these topics will continue, since it is only together that we can fulfil all our plans. In fact, we have major tasks ahead of us. <br /><br />We have already proven that we can deliver on the most challenging objectives and respond to any challenges, even the most formidable ones. For example, there was a time when we fended off international terrorist aggression and preserved our national unity, preventing our country from being torn into pieces. <br /><br />We supported our brothers and sisters; we supported their decision to be with Russia, and this year marks the tenth anniversary of the legendary Russian Spring. But even now, the energy, sincerity and courage of its heroes – the people of Crimea, Sevastopol, and the rebellious Donbass – their love for the Motherland, which they carried through generations, naturally makes one proud. This certainly inspires us and strengthens our confidence that we will overcome anything, that we will be able to do anything together. <br /><br />This is how – all hands on deck – we were able to eliminate the deadly threat of the Covid-19 pandemic just recently. Moreover, by doing that, we also showed the world that values such as compassion, mutual support and solidarity prevail in our society. <br /><br />And today, when our Motherland is defending its sovereignty and security, defending the lives of our compatriots in Donbass and Novorossiya, our citizens are playing the decisive role in this righteous struggle – their unity and devotion to our country, and our shared responsibility for its future. <br /><br />They clearly and unequivocally demonstrated these qualities at the very beginning of the special military operation, when it was supported by the absolute majority of Russians. Despite the hardest trials and bitter losses, people have remained adamant in their choice and are reaffirming it by trying to do as much as possible for their country and for the common good. <br /><br />Russian industries are working in three shifts to roll out as many products as the front needs. The entire economy, which provides the industrial and technological foundation for our victory, has shown flexibility and resilience. I would like to thank every business leader, engineer, worker and farmer for their responsible and hard work in the interests of Russia. <br /><br />Millions of people have joined the We Are Together campaign and the Russian Popular Front’s project Everything for Victory! Over the past two years, Russian businesses have donated billions of rubles to volunteer organisations and charitable foundations that support our soldiers and their families. <br /><br />People send letters and parcels, warm clothes and camouflage nets to the front; they donate money from their savings, sometimes very modest. Again, this kind of assistance is invaluable – it is everyone's contribution to the common victory. Our heroes at the frontline, in the trenches, where it is most difficult, know that the whole country is with them. <br /><br />I would like to acknowledge the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, the Committee of the Warriors of the Fatherland Families, and other public associations for their tireless efforts. I urge the authorities at all levels to continue providing unwavering support to the families of our heroes, including their parents, spouses, and children, who anxiously await the safe return of their loved ones. <br /><br />I am grateful to the parliamentary parties for uniting around national interests. Russia’s political system stands as one of the pillars of our country’s sovereignty. We will continue to advance democratic institutions and resist any external interference in our internal affairs. <br /><br />The so-called West, with its colonial practices and penchant for inciting ethnic conflicts around the world, not only seeks to impede our progress but also envisions a Russia that is a dependent, declining, and dying space where they can do as they please. In fact, they want to replicate in Russia what they have done in numerous other countries, including Ukraine: sowing discord in our home and weakening us from within. But they were wrong, which has become abundantly clear now that they ran up against the firm resolve and determination of our multi-ethnic people. <br /><br />Our soldiers and officers – Christians and Muslims, Buddhists and followers of Judaism, people representing different ethnicities, cultures, and regions – proved with their actions which are stronger than a thousand words that the centuries-old cohesion and unity of the people of Russia are a formidable and invincible force. All of them, shoulder to shoulder, are fighting for our shared Motherland. <br /><br />Together, as citizens of Russia, we will stand united in defence of our freedom and our right to a peaceful and dignified existence. We will chart our own course, to safeguard the continuity of generations, and thus the continuity of historical development, and address the challenges facing the country based on our outlook on the world, our traditions and beliefs, which we will pass down to our children. <br /><br />Friends, <br /><br />The defence and the strengthening of sovereignty are going on across the board, primarily, on the frontlines, where our troops are fighting with steadfast and selfless resolve. <br /><br />I am grateful to everyone who is fighting for the interests of the Fatherland, who endure the crucible of military trials, and put their lives on the line every day. The entire nation has the deepest respect for your feat, mourns the dead, and Russia will always remember its fallen heroes. <br /><br />(A moment of silence.) <br /><br />Our Armed Forces have acquired a lot of experience, including in terms of coordinating all the wings of the military, as well as mastering the latest tactics and methods of war. This effort has given us so many talented and seasoned commanders who treasure their men and are diligent in performing their missions, know how to use new equipment and are effective when fulfilling their assignments. I would like to emphasise that this is happening at all levels, from platoons and operations units to the highest command. <br /><br />We are aware of the challenges we face. They do exist. That being said, we also know what needs to be done to address them. There is an ongoing and unrelenting effort unfolding both along the frontlines and in the rear in this regard in order to improve the striking power of the Army and the Fleet, to make them more tech-savvy and effective. <br /><br />The Armed Forces have expanded their combat capabilities many-fold. Our units have seized the initiative and will not surrender it. They are confidently advancing in several operational theatres and liberating more territories. <br /><br />We were not the ones who started the war in Donbass, but, as I have already said many times, we will do everything to put an end to it, eradicate Nazism and fulfil all the objectives of the special military operation, as well as defend sovereignty and ensure that our people are safe. <br /><br />The strategic nuclear forces are on full combat alert and the ability to use them is assured. We have either already accomplished or are about to accomplish all our plans in terms of weapons in keeping with what I said in my 2018 Address. <br /><br />Kinzhal, the hypersonic air-launched complex, has not only entered combat duty, but has been effective when carrying out strikes against critical targets during the special military operation. By the same token, Zircon, a ship-based hypersonic missile complex, has already served in combat. It was not even mentioned during the 2018 address, but this missile system has also entered combat duty. <br /><br />Avangard hypersonic ICBMs, as well as the Peresvet laser complexes have also entered combat duty. Burevestnik, a cruise missile with an unlimited range, is about to complete its testing stage and so is the Poseidon, an unmanned underwater vehicle. These systems have proven that they meet the highest standards and it would not be an exaggeration to say that they offer unique capabilities. Our troops also received the first serially produced Sarmat heavy ballistic missiles. Soon, we will show them to you on their combat alert duty in the areas of their deployment. <br /><br />Efforts to develop several other new weapons systems continue, and we are expecting to hear even more about the achievements of our researchers and weapons manufacturers. <br /><br />Russia is ready for dialogue with the United States on issues of strategic stability. However, it is important to clarify that in this case we are dealing with a state whose ruling circles are taking openly hostile actions towards us. So, they seriously intend to discuss strategic security issues with us while simultaneously trying to inflict strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield, as they themselves say. <br /><br />Here is a good example of their hypocrisy. They have recently made unfounded allegations, in particular, against Russia, regarding plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space. Such fake narratives, and this story is unequivocally false, are designed to involve us in negotiations on their conditions, which will only benefit the United States. <br /><br />At the same time, they have blocked our proposal which has been on the table for over 15 years. I am referring to the agreement on preventing the deployment of weapons in outer space, which we drafted back in 2008. There has been zero reaction to it. It is totally unclear what they are talking about. <br /><br />Therefore, there are reasons to suspect that the current US administration’s professed interest in discussing strategic stability with us is merely demagoguery. They simply want to show to their citizens and the world, especially in the lead-up to the presidential election that they continue to rule the world, that they would talk with the Russians when it will benefit them and that there is nothing to talk about and they will try to inflict defeat on us otherwise. Business as usual, as they say. <br /><br />But this is unacceptable, of course. Our position is clear: if you want to discuss security and stability issues that are critical for the entire planet, this must be done as a package including, of course, all aspects that have to do with our national interests and have a direct bearing on the security of our country, the security of Russia. <br /><br />We are also aware of the Western attempts to draw us into an arms race, thereby exhausting us, mirroring the strategy they successfully employed with the Soviet Union in the 1980s. Let me remind you that in 1981–1988, the Soviet Union’s military spending amounted to 13 percent of GDP. <br /><br />Our current imperative is to bolster our defence industry in such a way as to increase our country’s scientific, technological and industrial capabilities. We must allocate resources as judiciously as possible, fostering an efficient economy for the Armed Forces, and maximising the return on each ruble of our defence spending. It is crucial for us to expedite the resolution of social, demographic, infrastructural and other problems we face while simultaneously advancing the quality of equipment for the Russian Army and Navy. <br /><br />This primarily applies to general-purpose forces, refining the principles of their organisation and deploying advanced unmanned strike systems, systems of air defence and electronic warfare, reconnaissance and communications, high-precision weapons and other types of weapons to the troops. <br /><br />We need to shore up the forces in the western strategic theatre in order to counteract the threats posed by NATO’s further eastward expansion, with Sweden and Finland joining the alliance. <br /><br />The West has provoked conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and other regions around the world while consistently propagating falsehoods. Now they have the audacity to say that Russia harbours intentions of attacking Europe. Can you believe it? We all know that their claims are utterly baseless. And at the same time, they are selecting targets to strike on our territory and contemplating the most efficient means of destruction. Now they have started talking about the possibility of deploying NATO military contingents to Ukraine. <br /><br />But we remember what happened to those who sent their contingents to the territory of our country once before. Today, any potential aggressors will face far graver consequences. They must grasp that we also have weapons – yes, they know this, as I have just said – capable of striking targets on their territory. <br /><br />Everything they are inventing now, spooking the world with the threat of a conflict involving nuclear weapons, which potentially means the end of civilisation – don’t they realise this? The problem is that these are people who have never faced profound adversity; they have no conception of the horrors of war. We – even the younger generation of Russians – have endured such trials during the fight against international terrorism in the Caucasus, and now, in the conflict in Ukraine. But they continue to think of this as a kind of action cartoon. <br /><br />Indeed, just like any other ideology promoting racism, national superiority or exceptionalism, Russophobia is blinding and stupefying. The United States and its satellites have, in fact, dismantled the European security system which has created risks for everyone. <br /><br />Clearly, a new equal and indivisible security framework must be created in Eurasia in the foreseeable future. We are ready for a substantive discussion on this subject with all countries and associations that may be interested in it. At the same time, I would like to reiterate (I think this is important for everyone) that no enduring international order is possible without a strong and sovereign Russia. <br /><br />We strive to unite the global majority’s efforts to respond to international challenges, such as turbulent transformation of the world economy, trade, finance, and technology markets, when former monopolies and stereotypes associated with them are collapsing. <br /><br />For example, in 2028, the BRICS countries, with account taken of the new members, will create about 37 percent of global GDP, while the G7 numbers will fall below 28 percent. These figures are quite telling because the situation was completely different just 10 or 15 years ago. You have heard me say it publicly before. These are the trends, you see. These are the global trends, and there is no escaping them since they are objective reality. <br /><br />Look, the G7 countries’ share in global GDP in terms of PPP stood at 45.7 percent in 1992, while the BRICS countries (this association did not exist in 1992) accounted for only 16.5 percent. In 2022, though, the G7 accounted for 30.3 percent, while BRICS had 31.5 percent. By 2028, the percentage will shift even more in favour of BRICS, with 36.6 percent, and the projected figure for the G7 is 27.8 percent. There is no getting away from this objective reality, and it will remain that way no matter what happens next, including even in Ukraine. <br /><br />We will continue to work with friendly countries to create effective and safe logistics corridors, relying on cutting-edge solutions for building a new global financial architecture that would be free from any political interference. This is especially important considering that the West has been undermining its own currencies and banking system by literally sawing off the branch it is sitting on. <br /><br />The principles of equality and respect for each other’s interests guide us in our interactions with our partners. This is why more and more countries have been proactive in seeking to be part of the activities of the EAEU, the SCO, BRICS and other associations involving Russia. We see a lot of promise in the project to build a Greater Eurasian Partnership and aligning integration processes within the Eurasian Economic Union and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. <br /><br />There has been positive momentum in Russia’s dialogue with ASEAN. The Russia-Africa summits have been a real breakthrough, with the African continent becoming increasingly assertive in pursuing its interests and enjoying genuine sovereignty. We sincerely support these aspirations. <br /><br />Russia has long-standing and positive relations with Arab states, which have their own unique and vibrant civilisation spanning across North Africa and the Middle East. It is our belief that we must find new points of convergence with our Arab friends and deepen our partnerships across the board. The same vision will guide our relations with Latin America. <br /><br />On a separate note, I would like to ask the Government to allocate more funding to international programmes for promoting the Russian language and our multi-ethnic culture, primarily within the CIS space but also across the world. <br /><br />Incidentally, friends and colleagues, I am sure that many of you have been to the Russia exhibition. People go there to see how rich and vast our homeland is and to show this to their children. The Year of the Family has been launched there. The values of love, mutual support and trust are handed down from generation to generation, just like our culture, traditions, history, and moral principles. <br /><br />But the main purpose of the family is to have children, to procreate, to bring up children and hence to ensure the survival of our multi-ethnic nation. We can see what is taking place in some countries where moral standards and the family are being deliberately destroyed and entire nations are pushed to extinction and decadence. We have chosen life. Russia has been and remains a stronghold of the traditional values on which human civilisation stands. Our choice is supported by the majority of people in the world, including millions in Western countries. <br /><br />True, today birth rates are declining in Russia and many other countries. Demographers say that this challenge is related to changes in social, economic, technological, cultural and value perceptions throughout the world. Young people get an education, try to make a career, and improve their living conditions, leaving children for later. <br /><br />It is obvious that the economy and the quality of the social sector are not the only factors affecting demography and the birth rate. The life choices encouraged in the family and by our culture and education also have a tremendous impact. All levels of government, civil society, and the clergy of all our traditional religions must contribute to this. <br /><br />Support for families with children is our fundamental moral choice. A multi-child family must become a norm, the underlying social philosophy, and the focus of state strategy. (Applause.) I join your applause. <br /><br />We must ensure sustainable growth in the birth rate within the next six years. With this aim in view, we will make additional decisions regarding the education system as well as regional and economic development. I will speak about supporting families and improving the quality of their lives in nearly all parts of the Address. Pease bear with me, for I have barely started. Everything I have already said is important too, but now I will speak about the most important issues. <br /><br />I will begin with a major issue, to put it mildly, which is the low incomes experienced by many large families. In 2000, more than 42 million Russians lived below the poverty line, but the situation has changed dramatically since then. As of the end of last year, the number of people living below the poverty line declined to 13.5 million which is also a lot, though. But we are constantly focused on finding a solution to this problem. <br /><br />A number of measures have been adopted relatively recently. For example, a single monthly allowance for low-income families was introduced on January 1, 2023. It is payable from the time a mother becomes pregnant until the child reaches 17 years of age. Last year, more than 11 million people received it. <br /><br />We have drastically simplified the procedure for concluding a social contract, prioritising large families. Now, an application for a social contract can be submitted through the Gosuslugi (government services) website with a minimum set of documents. We will work to expand the availability of this service, which will require extra funding to the tune of 100 billion rubles. This money has already been set aside. In general, all the additional spending I am going to mention has been budgeted. <br /><br />To reiterate, poverty remains an acute problem which now directly affects more than 9 percent of the population. According to experts, the poverty rate among families with many children is about 30 percent. We must set clear goals and consistently achieve them. By 2030, the overall poverty rate in Russia must be below 7 percent, and for large families, it must be no more than 12 percent, or less than half of today’s 30 percent. That is, we must place special emphasis on the effort to reduce poverty, first and foremost for families with many children. <br /><br />I know that overcoming poverty is not easy and is an absolutely systemic and multi-vector effort. So, to reiterate, it is important to make sure that everything we do in this area, and every tool we use, is effective and efficient and produces tangible real results for our people and our families. <br /><br />What we need is an uninterrupted effort aimed at improving the quality of life of families with children and supporting the birth rate. To achieve this goal, we will launch a new national project titled “Family.” <br /><br />I will now talk about a number of specific initiatives. <br /><br />First, in addition to federal programmes, Russian regions are implementing their own measures to support families with children. Above all, I would like to thank my colleagues for this work and propose providing additional assistance to the regions where the birth rate is below the national average. This is especially important for central and northwestern Russia. In 2022, 39 regions had a total fertility rate below the national average. By the end of 2030, we will channel at least 75 billion rubles to these regions so that they can increase their family support programmes. The funds will begin to be disbursed next year. <br /><br />Second, last year, more than 110 million square metres of housing were built in Russia, or 50 percent more than the highest Soviet-era level, which was achieved in 1987. At that time, 72.8 million square metres were built, and now, the result is 110 million. <br /><br />More importantly, over the past six years, millions of Russian families have moved to bigger or better housing; over 900,000 of them took advantage of the family mortgage programme – the one launched in 2018, for reference. We have been steadily expanding eligibility for this programme over time, from families with two or more children, to families with one child today. The programme will continue until July 2024. I propose further extending it until 2030 while maintaining its basic parameters. Particular attention should be paid to families with children under six; the preferential loan interest rate will remain at six percent for such families. <br /><br />There is something else. The government currently subsidises 450,000 rubles of a family’s mortgage when they have a third child. I also propose extending this measure until 2030. This year, this support plan will require almost 50 billion rubles; the amount will increase further, but we have the money for this. <br /><br />Our wider goal is to make the housing that is now under construction more affordable for families, and to ensure a system-wide renewal of the housing stock in the country. <br /><br />Third, there are over two million families in Russia with three or more children. It goes without saying that we are very proud of these families. <br /><br />Here is what I wanted to say in this regard. Look at these numbers – these are real-world figures. Between 2018 and 2022, the number of families with many children in Russia increased by 26.8 percent, which is a positive result. <br /><br />I signed an executive order creating a single national status for families with many children. This is what people have been asking for. We must follow up on its provisions by taking concrete federal and regional decisions in keeping with people’s aspirations, of course. <br /><br />Families with many children have so many matters they have to take care of, so parents must have more resources on hand to deal with their everyday challenges. I suggest doubling the tax deduction parents get when having their second child to 2,800 rubles per month and increasing this benefit for the third and every consecutive child to 6,000 rubles. <br /><br />What does this mean? Let me give you an example: this will enable a family with three children to save 1,300 rubles per month. I also suggest increasing the annual income counted towards this deduction from 350,000 to 450,000 rubles. And this support measure must apply automatically without people having to apply for it. <br /><br />On a separate note, I would like to mention the maternity capital benefit. Today, parents can receive 630,000 rubles when their first child is born, and when the second one arrives, the family gets another 202,000 rubles. We have regularly adjusted this benefit for inflation. For now, the maternity capital programme is set to expire by early 2026, but I suggest extending it until at least 2030. <br /><br />Colleagues, <br /><br />I would like to thank charity foundations and community service non-profits which are helping the elderly, people suffering from various diseases and children with disabilities. They have done a great deal to raise the issue of long-term care at the national level. They were the ones who constantly raised these issues. <br /><br />I believe that we need to allocate more federal funding to this system and follow a single high standard of care. This includes improving its availability for about half a million Russians who are most in need of this kind of assistance. <br /><br />By 2030, we need to make sure that 100 percent of the people who need this kind of long-term care can benefit from it. <br /><br />Presently the average life expectancy in Russia has exceeded 73 years. We have returned to the level we were at before the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2030, life expectancy in Russia should be at least 78 years, and in the future, as we planned, we will reach the level of 80 plus. <br /><br />Particular attention should be paid to rural areas and regions where life expectancy is still lower than the average in Russia. The Long and Active Life national project will focus on achieving these objectives. It is especially important to prolong the healthy and active period in a person’s life, so that he or she can enjoy family activities, be with loved ones, children, and grandchildren. <br /><br />We will continue to implement federal projects to combat cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes. <br /><br />Furthermore, I propose launching a new comprehensive programme to protect motherhood and help children and adolescents maintain good health, including their reproductive health, ensuring that children are born healthy and grow up to be healthy adults, and produce healthy children in the future. <br /><br />The new programme’s priorities should include expanding the national network of women’s health clinics and upgrading perinatal centres, children’s clinics and hospitals. In total, in the next six years we will additionally allocate more than a trillion rubles for the construction, repair, and equipping of healthcare facilities alone. <br /><br />Next. The number of Russians who engage in sports activities on a regular basis has increased significantly in recent years. This is one of our major achievements. We need to encourage people who take responsibility for their own health. As early as next year, we will introduce tax deductions for those who regularly undergo scheduled medical examinations, as well as successfully pass the standard GTO physical fitness test. <br /><br />Do you remember this popular slogan? Everyone remembers that joke: “Stop drinking – start skiing!” Appears to be the case, the time is now. By the way, on the subject of drinking, we have achieved a noticeable, positive result. In fact, we have significantly reduced the consumption of alcohol, primarily strong alcohol, without imposing any extreme restrictions, which should certainly improve the health of the nation. <br /><br />I suggest channelling federal money into building at least 350 additional sports facilities every year in the regions, primarily in small towns and rural areas. This could include multi-purpose venues, as well as structures that can be erected quickly to be used by children, adults, and families. We will allocate some 65 billion rubles in federal money to this effect over the next six years. <br /><br />Universities, vocational colleges, schools, and preschool institutions must also create conditions for doing sports. By the way, many of our kindergartens opened back in the Soviet era and need refurbishing. Next year, we will launch a major renovation programme for them. I have been hearing about this issue from the people I talk to all the time. <br /><br />As for the schools, about 18,500 buildings need major repairs. We will help the regions deal with their backlog of issues in this sector so that they can switch from urgent to planned repairs. Judging by what has been achieved so far, we are on the right track. Overall, we will allocate over 400 billion rubles for undertaking major repairs at kindergartens and schools. <br /><br />In addition to this, I propose renovating or opening medical rooms in schools that are in need of this type of service. Today, I mean in 2022–2023, only 65 percent out of 39,000 schools we have (and we have 39,440 schools in total), had medical facilities, which means that we have room for improvement here. <br /><br />There is another important topic. Many big cities are rapidly expanding, which in turn increases the burden on their social services. Many schools have had to switch to double or even triple shifts. Of course, this is a challenge and we must deal with it. We will have to engage federal resources for resolving this issue by building at least 150 schools and over 100 kindergartens in the worst-affected cities facing overcrowded educational institutions. <br /><br />Colleagues, <br /><br />The dreams and accomplishments of our ancestors are within our reach and we can take pride in these achievements, while it is the aspirations of our younger generation that will determine the future of our country. Their coming-of-age, their successes, their moral guidelines, which can stand up to any challenge, are the most important guarantees of Russia’s sovereignty and the continuation of our history. <br /><br />I propose consolidating the positive experience we have achieved with our youth policy and launching a new national project this year, the Youth of Russia. This project should focus on our country’s future and work towards that future. This is what our schoolteachers see as their calling, their grand mission, as they realise that they are responsible for younger generations, and we are grateful to them for their selfless work. <br /><br />Mentors play a major role in making children feel like they are part of a united team and in providing them support in life. I propose establishing a 5,000 ruble monthly federal benefit for advisors to directors who consult them on child development at schools and colleges, with a launch date of September 1, 2024. This will be a new support measure. I also propose we implement support measure for class teachers at schools, as well as for group supervisors, both at colleges and technical schools, in communities with a population of less than 100,000 people. Such communities need special attention, and in fact, most small towns and villages across Russia fall in this category. So, from March 1, 2024, I propose doubling the federal payment for classroom management and group supervision to eligible education workers to 10,000 rubles. <br /><br />There is one more thing I would like to add. In 2018, the May executive orders set forth the requirements for the remuneration of teachers and other public sector employees based on an average monthly income from employment in a particular region of Russia. These provisions of the so-called May executive orders must continue to be strictly adhered to. At the same time, we need to improve the system of remuneration in the public sector and to boost the incomes of its employees. <br /><br />The average pay in the economy differs from region to region, which means that people’s incomes in the public sector are sometimes widely different even in neighbouring entities of the federation. But the jobs of teachers and doctors are difficult and demand that they accept extreme responsibility no matter where they are. Without question, this large difference in salaries between regions is unjust. <br /><br />I know that it is an old, complicated, and capital-intensive issue, if I may address it this way. I have discussed this with my colleagues from federal agencies, the heads of regions, teachers, doctors, and other professionals. And it is clear we must do something about it. <br /><br />I will not go into detail now, but it is most certainly a complicated matter. The members of parliament and the Government know what I am talking about. I ask the Government to coordinate in 2025 a new system of payment for public sector employees within existing pilot projects in the regions and to adopt a final decision for the country as a whole in 2026. <br /><br />A separate issue has to do with creating additional incentives for attracting young professionals to schools where they will see professional and career opportunities. Towards this end, we will approve targeted allocations of over 9 billion rubles from the federal budget for improving the infrastructure of teacher training universities. <br /><br />Our system of school education has always been famous for its innovative teachers and unique teaching methods. It is teams of such teachers that will take part in creating forward-looking schools. The construction of the first leadership schools of this kind will begin this year in the Ryazan, Pskov, Belgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, and Novgorod regions. They will subsequently be built in all the federal districts, in the Far East, Siberia, and Donbass. Overall, we will open 12 such schools by 2030. <br /><br />As for educational content, the workload of our children must be reasonable and balanced. And it is definitely not good when children are taught one thing during lessons and asked completely different things during exams. This discrepancy, to put it mildly, between the curriculum and the questions asked during exams, which regrettably happens, is forcing parents to hire private tutors, which not every family can afford. I ask our colleagues in the Government to work together with teachers and parents to settle this most-evident problem. <br /><br />In this connection I would like to say a few words about the Unified State Exam. which is a matter of broad public discussion and debate, as we all know. It is true that the mechanism of the unified exam must be improved. <br /><br />What do I suggest at this stage? I propose taking one more step by giving high school graduates a second chance. In particular, they will have an option to re-sit an examination in one of the unified exam subjects before the university enrolment period ends so that they can resubmit their new grades. Such matters may seem mundane, but they are in fact quite important to the people. <br /><br />Colleagues, <br /><br />Last year, Russia's economy grew faster than the world economy, and we outperformed not only the leading EU countries, but all G7 economies as well. Here is what I would like to note in this regard: the massive reserves created over the past decades have had much to do with that. <br /><br />The share of non-commodity industries in the growth structure now stands at well over 90 percent, which means that the economy has become more complex and technological, and thus, much more sustainable. Russia is Europe's largest economy in terms of gross domestic product and purchasing power parity, and the world’s fifth largest economy. <br /><br />The pace and, most importantly, the quality of growth make it possible to hope and even assert that we will be able to take another step forward in the near future and become the world’s fourth largest economy. This kind of growth should have a direct effect on household incomes. <br /><br />The share of wages in the national GDP should increase within the next six years. We are adjusting the minimum wage ahead of inflation rates and average wage growth rates in the economy. Starting in 2020, the minimum wage has increased by 50 percent from 12,000 to 19,000 rubles per month. By 2030, the minimum wage will have almost doubled to 35,000 rubles, which will certainly make a difference in the number of social benefits and salaries in the public and economic sectors. <br /><br />We are aware of the risks and factors that may lead to a slowdown in economic growth and our progress in general. These include, primarily, shortages in skilled personnel and our own advanced technology and even total lack of it in some areas. We need to be proactive in this regard, so I will discuss these two strategically important topics in detail today. <br /><br />I will start with personnel. Russia has a large young generation. Strangely enough, we are facing demographic issues related to population growth, but still have a fairly large young generation. In 2030, this country will have 8.3 million people aged 20 to 24, and 9.7 million, or 2.4 million more than now, in 2035. Without a doubt, this is the result of the demographic measures in previous years, among other things. <br /><br />Importantly, today's teenagers should become professionals primed to work in the economy of the 21st century. This is the focus of the new Personnel national project. <br /><br />We have been discussing this a lot, but we really need to strengthen the link between all levels of education from school to university. They should work as one for a common result. Of course, the involvement of future employers is important. A career guidance system has been launched in all schools nationwide this year. Sixth-graders and up can get familiar with different specialties. <br /><br />I am now urging the heads of enterprises, research and medical centres to encourage schoolchildren to visit them. Let them see the workshops, like I was offered to do during one of my trips, the museums, and laboratories. Please make sure to join in this effort. <br /><br />Promoting close cooperation between educational institutions and the real economy has guided us in the Professionalitet project for promoting vocational training. It enabled us to update educational programmes for the aviation, shipbuilding, pharmaceutical, electronics, and defence industries, among others. <br /><br />We will have to train about a million highly skilled workers for these sectors by 2028, while making sure that the vocational training system as a whole transitions to these approaches, including in terms of developing human resources for schools, hospitals, outpatient clinics, the services sector, tourism, cultural institutions and creative industries. <br /><br />On a separate note, I am instructing the Government to work with the regions on a programme to refurbish and equip vocational training institutions. This effort must go beyond renovating educational facilities and also cover athletic facilities, as well as student dormitories serving these vocational training schools and colleges. We will allocate 120 billion rubles in federal funding for these purposes over the next six-year period. <br /><br />We will also spend an additional 124 billion rubles to carry out major repairs at about 800 university dormitories over the next six years. <br /><br />As for higher education in general, our task is to develop research and educational centres all across our country. For that, we will build 25 university campuses by 2030. We have already discussed this but it bears repeating. I suggest that we expand this programme to build at least 40 student campuses of that kind. <br /><br />To do so, we will have to allocate some 400 billion rubles from the federal budget in order to ensure that students, post-graduates, faculty members and young families have all they need to study, work and bring up their children. <br /><br />Overall, we must sift through all the different situations young mothers or young parents face in their lives and use this information to fine-tune and improve public services, the social sector, healthcare, as well as urban and rural infrastructure. I am asking the Government and the region to take due care when working on this agenda. <br /><br />Moving on, in last year’s Address, I announced major changes in the way our higher education system operates and talked about the need to use best national practices. The foundation of future success in a profession is laid in the first years of university, when core subjects are taught. I believe that we need to offer those who teach these subjects higher salaries. Therefore, I am asking the Government to suggest specific modalities for making this happen and launch a pilot project beginning September 1. <br /><br />This will require additional resources. According to preliminary estimates, this would amount to about 1.5 billion this year and 4.5 billion down the road. We have factored these amounts into our projections. <br /><br />It is important for us to bolster the capabilities and quality of the national higher education system, to support universities that are striving for development. These targets are being met by our Priority 2030 programme. The funding for this has been allocated through the end of this year. I certainly propose extending it for another six years and allocating an additional 190 billion rubles. <br /><br />The efficiency criteria for participating universities should include personnel and technology projects with Russia’s regions, industries and social sector, the creation of effective innovative companies and start-ups, and the ability to attract foreign students. In addition, we will certainly assess all Russian universities, colleges, and technical schools by the demand for their graduates from the labour market and their pay growth. <br /><br />Friends, <br /><br />I would like to say a few words about the technological foundation for development, and here, science is certainly the cornerstone. At a meeting with scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences, which marked its 300th anniversary this year, I said that, even during the most difficult periods, Russia has never given up on addressing its fundamental imperatives, has always thought about the future, and we must do the same now. As a matter of fact, we are trying to do exactly that. <br /><br />For example, no other country in the world has such a range of mega-science facilities as Russia has today. These centres provide unique opportunities for our scientists and for our partners, researchers from other countries, whom we invite for collaboration. <br /><br />Russia’s scientific infrastructure is our strong competitive advantage, both in the context of fundamental research and in creating innovations for pharmaceuticals, biology, medicine, microelectronics, chemicals, and new materials, as well as for space programmes. <br /><br />I believe that we should more than double the total public and private investment in research and development, to as much as two percent of GDP by 2030. This should secure Russia’s place as one of the world’s leading scientific powers. <br /><br />I would like to reiterate that private business should simultaneously increase investment in science, at least doubling the current programmes by 2030. It is understood that these funds should be spent effectively, should be instrumental in achieving a specific result in each specific research project. In this regard, we need to use the positive experience of our federal research programmes in genetics and agriculture, as well as projects promoted by the Russian Science Foundation. <br /><br />In light of the current goals and challenges, we have adjusted Russia’s Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development which we use as a starting point to launch new technological sovereignty national projects. I will give you a list of the main areas. <br /><br />First, we must be independent and own all the technological keys in sensitive areas, such as safeguarding public health and ensuring food security. <br /><br />Second, we need to attain technological sovereignty in critical spheres that determine the resilience of our economy in general, such as means of production and machine tools, robotics, all modes of transport, unmanned aerial, underwater and other systems, data economy, innovative materials and chemistry. <br /><br />Third, we must create globally competitive products relying on unique domestic innovations, including space, nuclear and new energy technologies. We must start working now to create a legal environment that fosters industries and markets of the future, to generate long-term demand − at least through the end of the current decade − for high-tech products so that companies have consistent rules to play by. <br /><br />It is also imperative to establish internal cooperative chains and international technological platforms, to launch serial production of our own equipment and components, and to guide geological exploration towards the search for rare-earth materials and other raw materials for the new economy. We have all this. <br /><br />To reiterate, we are talking about a strategic foothold for the future, so let us use all available development tools and mechanisms to achieve these objectives, and to ensure priority budget financing. I urge the Government and the Federal Assembly to be mindful of this when drafting the budget. Please always treat this as a top priority. <br /><br />Technological sovereignty projects should become an engine to renew our industry and help the entire economy reach an advanced level of efficiency and competitiveness. I propose setting the goal of increasing the share of domestic high-tech goods and services on the domestic market by 150 percent within the next six years, and increasing the volume of non-commodity and non-energy exports by at least two-thirds. <br /><br />I will cite a few more figures. In 1999, the share of imports in our country reached 26 percent of GDP meaning that imports accounted for almost 30 percent of our market. Last year, it was 19 percent of GDP, or 32 trillion rubles. Before 2030, we need to reach a level of imports of no more than 17 percent of GDP. <br /><br />This means that we must produce ourselves many more consumer and other goods, including medicine, equipment, machine tools, and vehicles. We are unable to produce everything, and we do not need to, but the Government knows what it needs to work on. <br /><br />I would like to point out that in the next six years the gross added value in manufacturing should increase by at least 40 percent compared to 2022. This accelerated industrial development implies the creation of thousands of new enterprises and modern highly paid jobs. <br /><br />We have already prepared an industrial “menu” of sorts. The companies that implement industrial projects will be able to choose suitable support measures, agreements on investment protection and incentives, special investment contracts, a cluster investment platform, and the like. We have devised and are already implementing a great deal of such instruments. And we will further develop these mechanisms. <br /><br />In the next six years, we will additionally allocate 120 billion rubles to subsidise corporate R&D projects and to bolster the system of industrial mortgages. We will also use this programme to additionally build and renovate over 10 million square metres of industrial floorspace. <br /><br />I would like to add the following for the sake of comparison, in addition to the pace we have already achieved. <br /><br />So, let’s draw some comparisons. Today, in Russia we build about four million square metres of industrial floorspace every year. It is a substantial indicator of the modernisation of our industrial capacities as it is, and we will additionally build 10 million square metres, as I have stated. <br /><br />Next, we will invest 300 billion rubles in the Industrial Development Fund. We will almost double its capital and will focus its attention on supporting high-tech projects. At least 200 billion rubles will be additionally allocated within the framework of a cluster innovation platform to subsidise interest rates for projects that manufacture prioritised industrial products. <br /><br />I propose increasing the depreciation calculation base to stimulate the modernisation of industrial facilities in the manufacturing sector. It will amount to 200 percent of spending on Russian-made equipment and R&D. It may sound boring, but I will explain what it means. If a company buys Russian-made lathes for 10 billion rubles, it can reduce its tax base by 20 million rubles. It amounts to substantial assistance. <br /><br />We will continue to develop industrial technology parks focused on small and medium-sized companies in the priority technological spheres. It is important to make use of the advantages of the cluster approach, when companies grow together with their subcontractors and suppliers, and their cooperation will have a beneficial effect on all parties. I would like to point out to the Government that we must create at least 100 such platforms by 2030. They will act as growth points throughout the national territory and encourage investment. <br /><br />We have set a goal to add 70 percent to investment in key sectors by 2030. By the way, we have had good dynamics here; very good, I would say in fact. Good. <br /><br />In 2021, the cumulative growth of investment was 8.6 percent, against a target of 4.5 percent. In 2022, it was 15.9 percent, with a target of 9.5 percent. In the first nine months of 2023, the increase was 26.6 percent, when the plan for the year was 15.1 percent. We must continue to move ahead of the plan. <br /><br />Our banking system and the stock market must fully ensure the influx of capital into the economy, into the real sector, including through project and equity financing. In the next two years, industrial projects worth more than 200 billion rubles will be supported through equity funds. Essentially, this means that the VEB.RF Development Corporation and several commercial banks will join the share capital of high-tech companies and assist them during the most active growth phase. <br /><br />I have already issued instructions to introduce a special IPO regime for companies in priority high-tech industries. I would like to point out to my colleagues in the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank that we need to expedite the launch of this mechanism, including compensation for the company’s costs associated with floating securities. This needs to be done without delay. <br /><br />Again, the Russian stock market needs to play a bigger role as a source of investment. Its capitalisation should double by 2030, from the current level to 66 percent of GDP. At the same time, it is important that individuals have the opportunity to contribute to the nation’s development while also benefiting from investing their savings in low risk projects. <br /><br />A decision has already been made: voluntary investment in non-state pension funds of up to 2.8 million rubles will be insured by the state, which means a return is guaranteed. <br /><br />In addition, long-term individual investment accounts will be insured up to 1.4 million rubles. We will extend the unified tax deduction to individual investments in long-term financial instruments up to 400,000 rubles per year. <br /><br />At the same time, I deem it expedient to launch a new tool known as a savings certificate. By purchasing this product, individuals will deposit their savings in banks for more than three years. The certificate will be irrevocable; therefore, banks will offer their clients a more attractive interest rate. In addition, the holders of savings certificates will have their money insured by the state up to 2.8 million rubles, which is twice as much as regular bank deposit insurance. <br /><br />I would like to emphasise that all the measures of state support for investment, and the creation and modernisation of industrial facilities, should lead to higher salaries and better working conditions, and social packages for employees. <br /><br />Of course, as a matter of principle, Russian companies must operate within our national jurisdiction and refrain from moving their funds abroad where, as it turns out, you can lose everything. So now, my colleagues from the business community and I have to hold brainstorming sessions for coming up with ways to help them get their money back. Do not transfer your money there in the first place. This way, we will not have to figure out how to recover it. <br /><br />Russian businesses must invest their resources in Russia, its regions, in developing companies and staff training. Our strong and sovereign country offers them unrivalled protection for their assets and capital. <br /><br />An overwhelming majority of business leaders prioritise national interests and are patriots. Therefore, businesses working here in Russia must benefit from the guaranteed inviolability of their property, assets, and new investments. Of course, domestic investment and protecting investment go hand in hand with defending the rights of business owners, and it is our job to make this a reality. This will serve our national interests and society at large, as well as the millions of people who work for private companies, whether they’re large corporations or SMEs. <br /><br />I have been saying this all along, but let me repeat it: no one, no government official or law enforcement officer, has the right to harass people, break the law or use it for personal, selfish objectives. We must be there for people, for our business owners – I am talking about them right now. They are the ones creating jobs, giving people work and paying their salaries. Being there for others and helping them is what the mission of the government is all about. <br /><br />Colleagues, <br /><br />Small and medium-sized enterprises are playing an increasingly important role in driving economic growth. Today, they account for over 21 percent of the manufacturing, tourism, and IT sectors. Hundreds of Russian brands have demonstrated outstanding results. Last year, there were 1.2 million new SMEs registered in Russia. <br /><br />Let me draw your attention to the fact that this is a five-year high. People want to start their own businesses and believe in themselves, their country, and their success. I would like to emphasise that the number of young entrepreneurs under 25 years old increased by 20 percent in 2023. There are now over 240,000 of them. <br /><br />We need to make sure to support these creative and result-driven undertakings in order to ensure that the average income for SME workers outpaces GDP growth over the next six years. This means that these businesses must enhance their efficiency and make a qualitative leap forward in their performance. <br /><br />I have already said that we must eliminate situations where expanding operations becomes a losing proposition for companies because they have to switch from a streamlined tax framework with its beneficial rates to a general tax regime. When this happens it means that the state is basically promoting corporate fragmentation or compelling businesses to use other means for optimising their tax liabilities. <br /><br />I am asking the Government to work with the parliamentarians on the terms of an amnesty for SMEs which had no other option than to rely on tax optimisation schemes as they expanded their operations. <br /><br />Importantly, these companies should steer clear of the practice of artificial, essentially fraudulent, splitting of businesses, and embrace civilised and transparent operations. To reiterate, there will be no fines, no penalties, no sanctions, no recomputation of taxes for the earlier periods. This is what the amnesty is all about. <br /><br />In addition, I hereby instruct the Government to introduce a mechanism for a gradual – not abrupt – increase in the tax burden for companies that are transitioning from the simplified to the general taxation procedure starting next year. <br /><br />Next, we decided to introduce a temporary moratorium on inspections. This measure has fully justified itself. Companies that guarantee the quality of their products and services and act responsibly with regard to their consumers can and should enjoy our trust. <br /><br />So, from January 1, 2025, I believe we can rescind temporary moratoriums on business inspections and instead, building on our experience, fully switch to a risk-based approach and enshrine it in the law. If there are no risks, we should use preventive measures and thus minimise the number of inspections. <br /><br />There is more. I propose granting special credit holidays of up to six months once every five years to small and medium-sized businesses, without impacting their credit history. <br /><br />Again, we must create proper conditions for small and medium-sized companies to grow dynamically, and to enhance the quality of this growth through high-tech forms of manufacturing. In general, the taxation regime for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies should be relaxed. <br /><br />I urge the Government to make specific proposals in this regard. We have discussed this many times. Please do that. The proposals have been articulated, in fact. <br /><br />I would like to emphasise the work of small and medium-sized businesses in rural areas, in the agriculture sector. We are now fully self-sufficient in terms of food, and Russia is the leader on the global wheat market. We are among the top 20 food exporters. I thank agricultural workers, farmers, and specialists engaged in agriculture in general for their impressive performance. <br /><br />By 2030, the output of the Russian agro-industrial complex should grow by at least a quarter compared to 2021, and exports should increase by 50 percent. We will definitely continue to support the sector and the programme of integrated rural development, including renovation and modernisation of post offices. <br /><br />We will use a special solution for the development of coastal regions. Let me remind you that we have a “quota for the keel” rule. It must be strictly followed. As some of you here are aware, we are talking about the companies obtaining quotas for seafood production against an obligation to buy new Russian-made fishing vessels and renew the fleet. <br /><br />At the same time, this year the federal budget received a substantial amount of money – about 200 billion rubles – from selling seafood quotas. Mr Siluanov is here, and we have arrived at an agreement. I propose that part of these funds be earmarked for the social development of municipalities, which form the basis of our fishing industry. <br /><br />Colleagues, <br /><br />In today’s conditions, increasing efficiency in all spheres of labour productivity is directly connected with digitalisation and the use of AI technology, as I said. Such solutions enable us to create digital platforms for streamlining interaction between people, businesses and the state in the best possible way. <br /><br />So, we need to create a platform that will help people use the capabilities of our healthcare system to keep their health in check and remain healthy throughout their life. For example, they will be able to use data from their digital identities to remotely request and receive advice from specialists at federal medical centres, and general practitioners will be able to form a comprehensive picture of a patient’s health, forecast possible illnesses, prevent complications, and choose individual, and thus, more effective treatment. <br /><br />Everything I am saying is not a picture of a distant future. These practices are being introduced at our leading medical centres today. The goal is to apply them throughout the country and make them accessible to all. <br /><br />I believe that by 2030 we must formulate digital platforms in every major economic sector and in the social sphere. These and other comprehensive tasks will be addressed within the framework of the new national project The Economy of Data. We will allocate at least 700 billion rubles to implement it in the next six years. <br /><br />Such technologies and integration platforms offer great opportunities for the economic planning and development of individual sectors, regions, and cities, as well as for the efficient management of our programmes and national projects. The most important thing is that we can continue to focus the efforts of all levels of government on the interests of every individual and every family, and to proactively provide state and municipal services to our people and businesses in a convenient form and as quickly as possible. <br /><br />Russia is actually one of the world leaders in digital government services already. Many countries, including European ones, have yet to reach our level. But we have no intention of slowing down. <br /><br />Artificial intelligence is an important element of digital platforms. Here, too, Russia must be self-sufficient and competitive. An executive order has already been signed approving the updated version of the National Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence. The document sets new goals, including the need to ensure technological sovereignty in such revolutionary fields as generative artificial intelligence and large language models. Practical application of such systems promises to produce a real breakthrough in the economy and social sphere, and so it shall. For this we need to increase our computing resources. By 2030, the total capacity of domestic supercomputers should be at least 10 times greater. This is a completely realistic goal. <br /><br />We need to upgrade the entire infrastructure of the data economy. I would like to ask the Government to propose specific measures to support companies and start-ups that manufacture data storage and processing equipment and develop software. Investment in domestic IT should grow at least twice as fast as overall economic growth. <br /><br />Conditions need to be created to allow Russians to take advantage of digital technology not only in megacities, but also in smaller towns, in rural communities and in remote areas, along federal and regional thoroughfares, as well as local roads. I am referring to the need to provide access to high-speed internet almost everywhere in Russia within the next decade. To address this task, we will need to considerably expand our satellite constellation, for which we will be allocating 116 billion rubles. <br /><br />Colleagues, <br /><br />At this point, I would like to dwell on regional development. What are my suggestions on this matter? Our priority is to lower the debt burden of the Russian regions. I believe that we must write off two thirds of the debt regions owe under so-called budget loans. According to our projections, this will allow them to save about 200 billion rubles annually between 2025 and 2028. <br /><br />Let me draw your attention to the fact that these savings must be used for a specific purpose – the regions should channel them into support for investment and infrastructure projects. Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to this point. <br /><br />Moving on, in 2021, we launched a programme worth 500 billion rubles to issue infrastructure budget loans and went on to expand it to one trillion rubles. As you remember, the regions benefit from a 3 percent interest rate on these loans with a term of up to 15 years. What a great development tool. These funds go towards development projects, and the regions have appreciated this mechanism for its effectiveness. There will be no write-offs for these loans, but this year the regions will start repaying them. I suggest re-investing the money they return to the federal budget in the regions by issuing new infrastructure budget loans. Overall, we will expand our infrastructure loan portfolio for Russia’s regions starting in 2025 by at least 250 billion rubles per year. <br /><br />I also believe that the regions must have more leverage when it comes to managing the funds at their disposal for fulfilling national projects. <br /><br />Let me give you an example: a region upgrades an outpatient clinic and does a good job refurbishing it. If it did not spend all the funds allocated for this, it would not have to return the remainder to the federal budget. Instead, it can use them to buy equipment for the renovated clinic or for other purposes. <br /><br />Of course, we will support the regions to enable them to unlock their potential by launching projects in the real economy and infrastructure development as development drivers for these territories. <br /><br />Today, ten regions of the Federation that have low fiscal capacity are carrying out tailor-made socioeconomic development programmes. I am asking the Government to renew these programmes for another six-year term. <br /><br />By 2030, all our regions must achieve economic self-sufficiency. Let me repeat that this is a matter of justice and offering people equal opportunities, as well as guaranteeing high living standards across the country. <br /><br />Colleagues, <br /><br />As you can see, big plans call for big spending. Large-scale social, demographic and economic investments will be made, as well as science, technology, and infrastructure investments. <br /><br />In this regard, I would like to discuss the taxation system. It goes without saying that it must ensure the flow of resources to address national goals and to implement regional programmes. It is designed to reduce inequality not only in society, but in the socioeconomic development of the constituent entities of the Federation as well, and to take into account individual incomes and corporate revenues. <br /><br />I suggest developing approaches to modernising the fiscal system and more fairly distributing the tax burden towards those with higher individual incomes and corporate revenues. <br /><br />Conversely, we need to reduce the tax burden on families, including through deductions, which I mentioned earlier today. We need to incentivise businesses that invest in growth and in infrastructure and social projects. It is likewise important to close loopholes that are used by some companies to avoid taxes or underreport their taxable revenue. I urge the State Duma and the Government to submit a specific set of proposals to address these matters soon. In the future, taking into account the adopted changes, I propose locking in key tax parameters until 2030 to ensure a stable and predictable environment for implementing any, including long-term, investment projects. This is what the business community is asking for during our direct contacts. <br /><br />Colleagues, <br /><br />Decisions regarding financial support for the regions and economic growth should be designed to improve the quality of life in all constituent entities of the Federation. We have already renewed until 2030 special programmes for the development of the regions such as the North Caucasus and the Kaliningrad Region, Donbass and Novorossiya, Crimea and Sevastopol, the Arctic and the Far East. Master development plans have been drafted for 22 Far Eastern cities and metropolitan areas, and the same work is underway for Arctic communities. <br /><br />Now we have to take the next step. I propose making a new list of more than 200 cities and towns, with a master plan to be developed and implemented for each of them. Overall, the development programme should span about 2,000 communities, including villages and small towns. Every policy to support the regions that I mentioned today, including infrastructure loans, should apply in these cases. <br /><br />I would like to address the heads of the regions now. These resources should be used, among other things, to expand the capabilities of the municipalities. I remember meeting with the heads of some municipalities at their forum here in Moscow. The local level of government has a special role and responsibility. It includes the agencies and bodies where Russians go with their daily needs. I would like to thank our mayors, heads of districts, and local deputies for their work, for their attention to people’s needs. And I would like to specially recognise the staff of the municipalities working in the immediate vicinity of the combat zone and sharing all the adversities with the local residents. <br /><br />Local residents should in fact be co-creators of their local urban development plans. Municipalities need to step up the use of mechanisms where residents can vote for projects, facilities or problems that require priority financing. I propose increasing the federal and regional co-financing of people’s projects like this. <br /><br />We will also extend, until 2030, the national competition for best projects to create a comfortable urban environment in small towns and historical communities. <br /><br />In total, we will improve more than 30,000 public spaces in Russia in the next six years. I would like to ask the Government to provide additional support to the regions that are renovating local embankments, parks, gardens and historical downtown areas. We will allocate 360 billion rubles for major landscaping and improvement projects like this. <br /><br />Old buildings, estates and churches are the visible embodiment of our national identity, an inextricable link between generations. I would like to ask the Government, parliament and relevant State Council commissions to involve the public and review the regulatory framework for the protection and use of cultural heritage sites. Any obviously redundant or contradictory requirements need to be eliminated. In some cases, a piece of cultural heritage may be crumbling right before our eyes, but formally, such imperfect regulations make it impossible to take prompt measures to save it. <br /><br />I suggest developing a long-term programme for preserving Russia’s cultural heritage sites, and I hope it will cover a 20-year period and include support measures for people, companies, and public associations willing to invest their work, time and money into restoring landmarks. <br /><br />This year, we will test these mechanisms as part of a pilot project carried out by DOM.RF Development Institution covering five regions: the Trans-Baikal Territory, Novgorod, Ryazan, Smolensk and Tver regions. Our goal is to repair at least a thousand cultural heritage sites across the country by 2030, giving them a new lease on life so they can serve people and embellish our cities and village. <br /><br />We will make sure to keep major culture-related projects running by continuing to fund them. We will undertake infrastructure upgrades for museums, theatres, libraries, clubs, arts schools and cinemas. Creative cinematic, online and social-media projects in education, awareness building, history and other areas will receive over 100 billion rubles over the next six years. <br /><br />I suggest expanding the Pushkin Card programme, which enables school students and young people to access film screenings, museums, theatres and exhibitions for free, while offering cultural institutions an incentive to expand their operations and launch new projects, including by reaching out to the private sector. I am asking the Government to draft additional proposals to this effect. <br /><br />In addition to this, we will launch a programme called the Rural Cultural Worker in 2025 along the same lines as the Rural Teacher and the Rural Doctor programmes. People keep raising this issue during our meetings. A specialist who moves to a rural area or a small town will be entitled to a non-recurring grant of 1 million rubles or twice as much, i.e., 2 million rubles, when moving to Russia’s Far East, Donbass or Novorossiya. <br /><br />There is another additional decision we need to work on and adopt. I am asking the Government to offer special lending terms for family mortgages in small towns, as well as in regions that do not build many blocks of flats or none at all. We need to do this as quickly as possible and define the main terms for these loans, including the down payment and interest rates. I am asking you to keep this on your radar; I look forward to your proposals. <br /><br />Moving on, we will renew targeted mortgage lending programmes with a 2 percent interest rate for Russia’s Far East, the Arctic, Donbass and Novorossiya. Special military operation participants and veterans will also be entitled to these subsidised loans. <br /><br />We will provide separate support for the integrated development areas, the construction of residential areas replete with the infrastructure in the regions with inadequate levels of socioeconomic development, where many of our usual proposals do not work. For these territories, we will set aside an additional 120 billion rubles. <br /><br />In this regard, we are faced with another system-wide challenge. With the federal backup, many regions have significantly increased the pace of relocating residents from dilapidated blocks of flats. A total of 1.73 million people have moved into new flats over the past 16 years, and it is important not to lose this momentum in the next six years. I urge the Government to draft and launch a new programme for relocating residents from dilapidated and structurally unsafe buildings. <br /><br />With regard to housing and utilities, we will step up the pace of updating the utilities infrastructure. A total of 4.5 trillion rubles, including private funds, will be allocated for these purposes until 2030. <br /><br />We will continue to implement the Clean Water Project. Clean water is a top priority for many of our urban and rural areas. We are primarily talking about a reliable supply of high-quality drinking water. <br /><br />Gas distribution is a separate subject. Our plans include providing this environmentally friendly fuel to towns and districts in Yakutia and Buryatia, as well as the Khabarovsk, Primorye and Trans-Baikal territories, the Murmansk and Amur regions, the Jewish Autonomous Area, Karelia, and the major Russian city of Krasnoyarsk. We will also supply LNG to the Kamchatka Territory and certain other regions. <br /><br />Naturally, this will make it possible to expand the social gas supply programme which was already used to build the gas distribution infrastructure free of charge to the property lines of 1.1 million land plots. Applications continue to be accepted, and we are helping entitled groups of citizens, including the families of those in the special military operation, install gas lines within their plots of land. <br /><br />On a separate note, there are horticultural non-commercial partnerships within the boundaries of many communities outfitted with gas grids. For years, sometimes from generation to generation, people have been tending to their land plots, and are now building houses suitable for year-round living, but they are unable to hook up to the grid because these partnerships are not included in the Social Gas Infrastructure Development programme. <br /><br />This problem affects millions of households and must be resolved in the interests of our citizens, meaning that the social gas infrastructure development programme should be expanded to include them, and the grid should be extended to the boundaries of the partnerships. <br /><br />Residents in remote northern and far eastern territories, where grid gas will not be available any time soon, will also be supported. Today, they heat their homes with coal or wood. Now, with the state subsidies, they will be able to purchase modern and domestically produced, environmentally safe equipment. The neediest families should be supported first. We will allocate an additional 32 billion rubles for these purposes. <br /><br />We will develop public transport considering today’s environmental standards and lower its average age. The Russian regions will receive an additional 40,000 buses, trolleybuses, trams, and electric buses by 2030. We will allocate an additional 150 billion rubles from the federal budget for this public transport renewal programme. <br /><br />We will also replace the school bus fleet at a rate of at least 3,000 vehicles per year, which is especially important for small towns and rural areas. Both residents and heads of municipalities and regions are talking about this. This programme is indeed very important. Therefore, we will allocate an additional 66 billion rubles for the purchase of school buses. And, of course, they must either be entirely made in Russia or with a high degree of localisation. <br /><br />As you know, we have managed to reduce harmful emissions in the atmosphere in 12 industrial centres of Russia as part of the Clean Air project, with 29 more cities having joined it last year. The volume of harmful emissions into the atmosphere across the country must be halved. We will move towards this goal step by step. A comprehensive environmental quality monitoring system will be created to assess the results. <br /><br />Over the last five years, thousands of kilometres of rivers and banks have been cleaned, and dirty runoff into the Volga has been almost halved. Now I propose setting a goal of halving the pollution of Russia’s main bodies of water. <br /><br />Over the last five years, 128 large landfills in cities and 80 sites of accumulated environmental damage that were literally poisoning the lives of people in 53 regions of Russia have been cleared. The territories of the Krasny Bor landfill, the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill and Usolye-Sibirskoye have been brought to a safe state. <br /><br />In this regard, colleagues, I would like to emphasise that only the most urgent measures have been carried out so far at these sites, but that is far from the end. Under no circumstances should they be left in the condition as they are now. We must complete this work and create all the necessary infrastructure there. <br /><br />Overall, we will continue clearing the most hazardous sites of accumulated environmental damage. In the next six years, at least 50 of these sites must be cleared. <br /><br />It is necessary to create incentives for businesses, introduce green technologies, and switch to a circular economy. Moreover, we have in fact created an advanced waste management industry from scratch: 250 enterprises have been built to process and dispose of waste. The goal by 2030 is to sort all solid waste and everything that needs to be sorted and reuse at least a quarter of it. We will allocate additional financing for these projects, and together with businesses we will build about 400 new waste management facilities and eight eco-industrial parks. <br /><br />What else do I want to say? At meetings in the Far East, Siberia and other regions, people spoke a lot about the need to preserve our wealth of forestland, deal with illegal logging and protect our forests. This issue hugely resonates with the public. It is important to almost every person. All of us are pooling efforts here and the situation is gradually changing. <br /><br />A very important milestone – since 2021, Russia has been restoring more forestland than it clears. I would like to thank all the volunteers, school and university students and everyone who planted trees and took part in environmental activities, and, of course, businesses that supported such projects. We will certainly continue restoring forests, parks and gardens, including those surrounding metropolitan areas and industrial centres. <br /><br />I suggest making a separate decision on increasing salaries of specialists engaged in the forest industry, meteorology and environmental protection – all those dealing with the most important issues of environmental sustainability. We must admit frankly that they are doing vital work but their pay is very modest. <br /><br />To support civil environmental protection initiatives, I believe it is necessary to establish a fund for ecological and environmental projects. It will start off with grants totaling one billion rubles a year. <br /><br />We will continue working to preserve specially protected natural areas, as well as protect and restore populations of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna. I suggest considering the opening of a network of centres for rehabilitating injured and confiscated wild animals. <br /><br />By 2030, we will create infrastructure of environmental tourism in all national parks of the country, including eco-trails and tourist hiking routes, weekend tours for schoolchildren, outdoor recreation areas, museums and visit centres. <br /><br />We will build modern safe facilities near bodies of water as well, including Lake Baikal. A year-round resort will open there by 2030. It is important to strictly adhere to the zero pollution principle, that is, to ensure that no waste or untreated sewage of any kind enters the lake. The construction of the Baikal resort will be part of the large project of the Five Seas. <br /><br />Modern hotel complexes will also appear on the coasts of the Caspian Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea and the Sea of Japan. This project alone will make it possible to add another 10 million tourists a year. <br /><br />Tourism numbers are expected to practically double to 140 million people a year by 2030 in the country as a whole, considering the dynamic development of such tourist centres as Altai, Kamchatka, Kuzbass, the North Caucasus, Karelia and the Russian North. Importantly, the contribution of tourism to Russia’s GDP will also double to five percent. We will soon draft additional decisions on this issue. <br /><br />Transport infrastructure is crucial for the development of tourism and the region as a whole. High-speed auto traffic between Moscow and Kazan has already opened; this year, we are going to extend the route to Yekaterinburg, and next year, to Tyumen. In the future, a modern and safe transport artery will cross the entire country to Vladivostok. <br /><br />Also, more than 50 city bypass highways should be built in Russia in the next six years. Another significant road project is certainly the Dzhubga-Sochi motorway. It will cut travel time from the M-4 Don to Sochi by three quarters – up to an hour and a half – and will promote Black Sea coast development. <br /><br />I must say this at the outset – I have reached an agreement with the Government, and I want to say this publicly – that this is a complex and very capital-intensive project. It includes many tunnels and bridges; it is an expensive project. Nevertheless, I would like to ask the Government to develop a funding arrangement for it. Work it out. <br /><br />We have already repaired Russia’s federal roads and almost 85 percent of roads in major metropolitan areas. It is essential that we keep this up. At the same time, in the coming years, we will place special emphasis on the improvement of regional roads. <br /><br />Air travel should become more affordable. We need to increase Russians’ so-called air mobility. By 2030, air service volumes in Russia should increase 50 percent compared to last year. <br /><br />To this end, we plan to expedite the development of intra- and interregional air travel. In this regard, the Government has very specific instructions: to modernise the infrastructure of at least 75 airports, which is more than a third of Russia’s airports, over the next six years, allocating at least 250 billion rubles in direct budget financing for this purpose. <br /><br />The air fleets of our airlines definitely need upgrades by adding our own Russian-made aircraft. These new planes must meet all modern requirements for quality, convenience and safety, which is a challenging task. We used to buy too many planes abroad instead of developing our own domestic production. <br /><br />Advanced Russian developments in mechanical engineering, construction, communications and digital systems will also be highly needed in building high-speed railways. I would like to say a few words on this. <br /><br />The first high-speed rail line between Moscow and St Petersburg will pass through Tver and our ancient capital, Veliky Novgorod. Later, we will build similar lines to Kazan and the Urals, to Rostov-on-Don, to the Black Sea coast, to Minsk, our fraternal Belarus, and other popular destinations. <br /><br />The all-out modernisation of the Central Transport Hub will continue. The Moscow Central Diameters, the new surface metro lines will become part of a network connecting the Moscow Region with the Yaroslavl, Tver, Kaluga, Vladimir and other regions by modern high-speed routes. <br /><br />It is also imperative to upgrade the network of major inland waterways. This should ensure additional economic effects with regard to tourism, industry, as well as the development of certain sensitive regions that are very important for us, including the regions of the Far North. <br /><br />What can I add to this? Modern infrastructure offers added value and increases market capitalisation for all national assets and regions serving transit tourist flows, while also helping develop manufacturing and agricultural facilities and encouraging people to build single-family homes for their households and create a better living environment for them. This also means new business opportunities, including on foreign markets. <br /><br />In this context, there is a special matter we discussed during one of the meetings I had. I am talking about the waiting times at border checkpoints. This has become an urgent matter in Russia’s Far East. Customs clearance must take 19 minutes according to our standards, but in reality truck drivers usually have to wait for hours to cross the border. <br /><br />Our colleagues from the Ministry of Transport have a specific objective to reduce customs clearance times for freight transport on the border so that it does not exceed 10 minutes. The latest technological solutions can make this happen. <br /><br />These requirements are also essential for the North-South transport corridor to be effective. This route will link Russia to countries in the Middle East and Asia, and will rely on motorways, as well as seamless rail connections, from our ports in the Baltic and Barents seas all the way to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. We will also increase the carrying capacity of our southbound railways to make better use of our ports in the Azov and Black seas. <br /><br />The effort to expand the Eastern Operating Domain covers the Baikal-Amur Mainline and the Trans-Siberian Railway. We are about to launch the third stage. We slacked off at one point, if you will excuse this expression. In fact, we failed to act when we should have, but that’s okay – we now have to catch up, and catch up we will. These two railways will increase their annual throughput capacity from 173 to 210 million tonnes by 2030. At the same time, there will be an effort to expand the Vanino and the Sovetskaya Gavan ports. <br /><br />Northern Sea Route development deserves special attention. We invite foreign logistics companies and foreign countries to use this global transport corridor. Last year, freight volumes along this route reached 36 million tonnes. Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that this exceeds the Soviet-era maximum five times over. We will make the Northern Sea Route operational year-round and will expand our northern ports, including the Murmansk transport hub. This includes an effort to expand our Arctic fleet, of course. <br /><br />The Severny Polyus (North Pole), a unique research icebreaking platform, sailed last year. This year, the Baltic Shipyard started building the Leningrad, a new nuclear icebreaker. Next year, we will start building the Stalingrad, which belongs to the same class of ships. As for the Zvezda Shipyard in Russia’s Far East, it is building the Lider (Leader), a new-generation icebreaker that will have double the power of its predecessors. <br /><br />Russia’s shipyards will upgrade much of our commercial fleet, including tankers, gas carriers and container ships. This effort is expected to enable Russian businesses to streamline their trade operations considering the changing logistics environment and radical shifts in the global economy. <br /><br />Fellow citizens, friends, <br /><br />I would like to make special mention of something. I meet regularly with participants in the special military operation, including career military personnel and volunteers, as well as people of civilian professions who were mobilised for military service. All of them took up arms and rose in defence of our Motherland. <br /><br />You know, I look at these courageous men, sometimes very young men and, without exaggeration, I can say that my heart overflows with pride for our people, our nation and these people in particular. Without a doubt, people like them will not back down, fail or betray. <br /><br />They should take leading positions in the system of education and upbringing of young people, in public associations, state-run companies and privately held businesses, federal and municipal administration. They should head regions and enterprises, as well as major national projects. Some of these heroes and patriots are quite low-key and reserved in everyday life. They do not brag about their accomplishments, or talk big. But at pivotal moments in history, such people come to the fore and take responsibility. People who think about the country and live as one with it can be entrusted with the future of Russia. <br /><br />You know that the word “elite” has lost much of its credibility. Those who have done nothing for society and consider themselves a caste endowed with special rights and privileges – especially those who took advantage of all kinds of economic processes in the 1990s to line their pockets – are definitely not the elite. To reiterate, those who serve Russia, hard workers and military, reliable, trustworthy people who have proven their loyalty to Russia by deeds, in a word, dignified people are the genuine elite. <br /><br />In this regard, I would like to announce a new decision which, I believe, is important. Starting tomorrow, March 1, 2024, the veterans of the special military operations, as well as soldiers and officers who are currently fighting in active units, will be able to apply to be in the first class of a special personnel training programme. Let us call it Time of Heroes. Truth be told, this idea came to me when I met with the St Petersburg students who served in the special military operation. This programme will be built according to the standards of our best projects, namely, the Higher School of Public Administration, also known as the “school of governors,” and the Leaders of Russia contest. Their graduates tend to reach high positions in many spheres, and even become ministers and heads of regions. <br /><br />Active military members and veterans with university degrees and managerial experience will be welcome to enroll, regardless of their rank or position. What matters is that those individuals have shown their best qualities, have shown that they know how to lead their comrades. <br /><br />The course of study will begin in the coming months. The first cohort of participants will be mentored by senior officials from the Government, the Presidential Executive Office, federal ministries and agencies, heads of regions and our largest companies. In the future, we will expand such personnel training programmes, launch management courses at the Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, and I deem it expedient to raise the status of the Academy at the legislative level. <br /><br />In addition, veterans and participants of the special military operation will have priority entitlement to join higher education programmes in civilian specialties at our leading universities. <br /><br />I would like to ask the Defence Ministry and all unit commanders to support their soldiers and officers’ interest in joining the new personnel training programme, to give them the opportunity to apply and to physically attend classes. I would like to note that the special military operation participants, including privates, sergeants and combat officers, are already the backbone of our Armed Forces. And, as I have said, those who intend to continue their military careers will receive priority promotion, enrollment in command courses, military schools and academies. <br /><br />Friends, <br /><br />Independence, self-sufficiency and sovereignty must be proven and reaffirmed every day. This is our responsibility for Russia’s present and future, something no else can do but us. This is about our Motherland, the Motherland of our ancestors, and no one will ever need it and treasure it the way we do – except our descendants, to whom we must pass on a strong and prosperous country. <br /><br />Over the past few years, we have successfully built a management system, and implemented our national projects relying on large amounts of data and modern digital technologies. This has enabled us to increase efficiency, manage risks, build on the entire amount of available information, and continuously fine-tune our projects and programmes while relying on feedback from our people. <br /><br />I would like to thank my colleagues from the Government, agencies and regions that were meticulously building this system all these years – during the pandemic and in the face of the sanctions aggression against Russia. I know that this was a challenging and difficult job, but the main point is that it is already paying off. We are seeing this in the results. <br /><br />We will continue following precisely this logic. It is necessary to endorse and coordinate with each other all the national projects I spoke about today. I would like to emphasise again that these are not projects of separate departments. They should work for common system-wide objectives and for our national development goals. That said, I would like to ask the Russian Popular Front to continue monitoring the implementation of decisions at all levels of government. <br /><br />I would like to stress that the main result of our programmes is measured not in tonnes, kilometres or money spent. The main thing is that people see changes for the better in their life. The scale of historical challenges facing Russia requires extremely clear, coordinated work of the state, civil society and the business community. <br /><br />I consider it necessary to not only prepare a draft budget for the next three years but also to plan all major spending and investment further on, up to 2030. In other words, we must draft a perspective six-year plan for our national development that we will definitely supplement with new initiatives. Naturally, life will make its own adjustments to it. <br /><br />We are mapping out long-term plans despite this complicated period, despite the current trials and difficulties. The programme that I set out in the address today is based on facts and tackles fundamental matters. This is a programme of a strong sovereign country looking to the future with confidence. We have both resources and enormous opportunities to achieve the goals we set ourselves. <br /><br />But now I will emphasise the main thing. Today, making good on all these plans directly depends on our soldiers, officers and volunteers – all military personnel that are now fighting at the front. It depends on the courage and resolve of our comrades-in-arms that are defending the Motherland, going on the offensive, moving forward under fire and sacrificing themselves for the sake of us, for the sake of the Fatherland. It is our fighters that are creating today the absolutely essential conditions for the future of the country and its development. <br /><br />You have our deepest respect, guys. <br /><br />I would like to thank all of you, colleagues, and all citizens of Russia for their solidarity and reliability. We are one big family; we stand together and for this reason we will do everything we plan and desire and dream. <br /><br />I have faith in our victories, successes and the future of Russia! <br /><br />Thank you. <br /><br /> <br /></span><br /> </div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-17186234545634595142024-02-17T19:01:00.004-05:002024-02-17T19:03:00.644-05:00Key Donbass city of Avdeevka liberated – Moscow<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBUjY26VHSV49ephpaDlcn91_G5pFoTbNTQq5nMfDB90Jz4MDfCvl3xtqD9uL_c_0UwWITiF2pAl-S0IC-QKyb7qzyob8O6T1jpa126iXLHKlTC2gykN6-ZhW0uEoi95EkG1aRUF_WIlFFvotbAEzIl_-yE4p55RRGvBjfaG4bbXosaswlA9mJxelsD8/s768/20240217%20-%20Key%20Donbass%20city%20of%20Avdeevka%20liberated.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBUjY26VHSV49ephpaDlcn91_G5pFoTbNTQq5nMfDB90Jz4MDfCvl3xtqD9uL_c_0UwWITiF2pAl-S0IC-QKyb7qzyob8O6T1jpa126iXLHKlTC2gykN6-ZhW0uEoi95EkG1aRUF_WIlFFvotbAEzIl_-yE4p55RRGvBjfaG4bbXosaswlA9mJxelsD8/w640-h360/20240217%20-%20Key%20Donbass%20city%20of%20Avdeevka%20liberated.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>© Kostiantyn Liberov / Getty Images</i></b></div><div style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div> <br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/592600-moscow-key-city-donbass/" target="_blank">RT</a></b><br /><br />With Ukrainian forces routed, Russian soldiers are clearing the last pockets of resistance from the city <br /><br />Russian forces have “completely captured” the city of Avdeevka, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Saturday. Some 1,500 Ukrainian troops were killed as they retreated, leaving their weapons and equipment behind, the ministry said. <br /><br />The seizure moves the front line further away from the city of Donetsk, thereby shielding its civilian population from bombardment by Ukrainian forces. Situated around 20km away, Avdeevka had been fortified and used as a staging ground for such attacks since 2014. <br /><br />“Under the continuous fire of Russian troops, only individual scattered formations of Ukrainian militants” managed to escape the city, the ministry said, stating that Kiev had lost 1,500 men in the 24 hours before the city was liberated. Those that fled left their weapons and equipment behind them, it added. <br /><br />“Measures are being taken to fully clear the city of militants,” the defense ministry said, adding that Russian forces would soon move to block Ukrainian units holed up in a coke plant on the city’s outskirts. <br /><br />After appointing a new commander-in-chief, who surged elite Western-trained units into Avdeevka in a failed bid to hold the city, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky conceded on Saturday that the order had been given to retreat. With the bastion almost completely encircled by Russia’s ‘Center’ group of forces, Zelensky called the order “absolutely logical.” <br /><br />Following the capture of Avdeevka, Russian forces will continue their offensive to “further liberate the Donetsk People’s Republic from Ukrainian nationalists,” the ministry’s statement concluded. <br /><br />A Ukrainian defeat at Avdeevka had been predicted by officials in Washington and Western journalists for several weeks. Earlier this week, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby blamed the loss of the city on the drying up of Western aid, while Zelensky echoed this excuse on Saturday, accusing his Western patrons of creating “an artificial shortage of weapons.” <br /><br />In a briefing to reporters on Friday, a Pentagon official told reporters that the situation in Avdeevka could soon be repeated in “many other locations along the forward line,” and that “Ukraine’s defense will likely collapse” if American lawmakers fail to authorize a new $60 billion military aid package for Kiev. </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">--------------------------------------------</span><br /> <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Zelensky Explains Avdeevka Retreat</b></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIap07vhlnApz0PoFCrZoxBFJkG6D6r51-iPpY25kPiokcQSSG-zMS4sHsOehaLSX4-7U2bjjPfIo3YGpbtti8JCD9lbYq4Kxhq5I-Ff3mmhREdYox0Xarj4dxolCUljsjo2S3BsKgakK2fmWUpdkBFw7O7w6yv50nzKfjg2zjMNP8faeCGzgtYxZ04m8/s768/20240217%20-%20Zelensky%20explains%20Avdeevka%20retreat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIap07vhlnApz0PoFCrZoxBFJkG6D6r51-iPpY25kPiokcQSSG-zMS4sHsOehaLSX4-7U2bjjPfIo3YGpbtti8JCD9lbYq4Kxhq5I-Ff3mmhREdYox0Xarj4dxolCUljsjo2S3BsKgakK2fmWUpdkBFw7O7w6yv50nzKfjg2zjMNP8faeCGzgtYxZ04m8/w640-h360/20240217%20-%20Zelensky%20explains%20Avdeevka%20retreat.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky delivers his speech at the Munich Security Conference on February 17, 2024. © Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP</b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/592591-zelensky-avdeevka-retreat/" target="_blank">RT</a></b><br /><br />Ukrainian troops are pulling back to avoid encirclement and destruction, the president has said <br /><br />The Ukrainian military’s decision to withdraw from the Donbass stronghold of Avdeevka under relentless Russian pressure was “absolutely logical,” President Vladimir Zelensky has said. He explained that by doing so, Kiev is avoiding heavy casualties. <br /><br />The announcement of the retreat was made on Friday by General Aleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s recently appointed commander-in-chief, who said that the decision sought “to stabilize the situation” and help Kiev maintain its positions. <br /><br />His remarks came on the heels of reports from the front line suggesting that Ukrainian troops in Avdeevka were in dire straits. A senior commander of the Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade, which was recently urgently redeployed to the sector, described the situation as “critical” on Friday, adding that parts of the unit had been encircled. Several media reports also suggested that Russian troops had managed to cut the main logistics route to the embattled town. <br /><br />Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Zelensky attempted to downplay the latest developments, explaining that “in order to avoid encirclement, it was decided to withdraw to other positions.” This was done to “keep the maximum number of Ukrainians safe,” the president said, insisting that it was the right call. <br /><br />He also noted that it “does not mean that people have withdrawn kilometers back, and Russia has captured anything.” Zelensky claimed that Moscow had succeeded “only in destroying several small settlements and towns,” with most of the damage being to Ukrainian lives. <br /><br />Despite the latest setback, the Ukrainian leader insisted that Kiev would still win, arguing that it was limited only by a lack of adequate weaponry. “It depends not only on us. And the situation in Avdeevka confirms this. Unfortunately, keeping Ukraine in an artificial shortage of weapons… allows [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to adapt to the intensity of hostilities,” he complained. <br /><br />Avdeevka has been a frontline city since 2014 when hostilities first erupted in Donbass following a Western-backed coup in Kiev. The area was often used by the Ukrainian military to shell residential districts in Donetsk, located just 20km from the city. <br /><br />Meanwhile, an unnamed Pentagon official suggested on Friday that Ukraine might soon be unable to hold the line against Russia unless Congress approves a new funding request. Recently, the US House of Representatives failed to pass an additional $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, after Republicans demanded more provisions to improve security on the US southern border. <br />---------------------------------------------------</span><br /> <br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">RELATED:</span></b><br /> <br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/592566-ukrainians-lose-trust-in-leadership-poll/" target="_blank">20240216 - Ukrainians don’t trust their new commander-in-chief – poll</a></b><br /><br /><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/562079-ukraine-military-coup/" target="_blank"><b>20230907 - As the media speculates about plots to oust Zelensky, how secure is Ukraine's Western-backed leader? </b><br /></a></span><br /><br /> Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-21909373215814169572024-02-09T06:11:00.003-05:002024-02-09T06:21:45.140-05:00Tucker Carlson Interviews Vladimir Putin<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4INJ9qV7bi3QKeWZ_9eFts0y26Q9g06HIGBUx6sCRK33TtdomkV7qoXGOcjQA78yBiJBDi772nT9n3K3A2LMj9Ioft4t1bnNSXLXfEr-ZJvz7NpMjoU2qFWDt1o_gPdm8FpOLSrMMmkp8TYnkdBoROAM-_EF6byb9rZKuUxl2IcTkKecq_V8FbdA90eo/s1240/20240208%20-%20Tucker%20Carlson%20Interviews%20Vladimir%20Putin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="1240" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4INJ9qV7bi3QKeWZ_9eFts0y26Q9g06HIGBUx6sCRK33TtdomkV7qoXGOcjQA78yBiJBDi772nT9n3K3A2LMj9Ioft4t1bnNSXLXfEr-ZJvz7NpMjoU2qFWDt1o_gPdm8FpOLSrMMmkp8TYnkdBoROAM-_EF6byb9rZKuUxl2IcTkKecq_V8FbdA90eo/w640-h360/20240208%20-%20Tucker%20Carlson%20Interviews%20Vladimir%20Putin.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Russian President Vladimir Putin gives interview to American journalist Tucker Carlson, February 6, 2023. © Sputnik / Gavriil Grigorov</i></b></div></b><br /><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/592158-putin-carlson-interview-ukraine/" target="_blank">RT</a></b><br /><br />Ukraine conflict, fallout of NATO expansion, relations with US: Key takeaways from Putin’s interview with Tucker Carlson.<br /><br />The Russian leader spoke on a variety of burning topics in the much-anticipated interview, focusing on the Ukraine conflict.<br /><br />Conservative American journalist Tucker Carlson has released a much-anticipated interview that he conducted with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Tuesday. <br /><br />The interview mainly centered on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. <br /><br />In a video on X on Tuesday (See Video Below), Carlson claimed that Western media outlets “lie to their readers and viewers” by promoting Kiev’s position while downplaying Russia’s. “That’s wrong. Americans have the right to know all they can about a war they are implicated in,” he said. <br /><br />The more than two-hour-long interview has garnered more than 46 million views on Carlson’s X account and just under a million views on YouTube in the first hours since its release. Here are the key takeaways:</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">[01] Ukraine ‘started the war in 2014. Our goal is to stop this war’ – Putin</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Moscow did not start the war in 2022, but is trying to stop the war that Ukraine started in 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.<br /><br />Putin announced the military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, following eight years of Kiev’s suppression of the Donbass population.<br /><br />Commenting on the 2014 and 2015 Minsk agreements that sought to end the hostilities in Donbass, Putin said he sincerely believed that the crisis in the region could have been settled if the local population had been convinced to return to Ukraine, and if Kiev agreed to fulfil its social welfare commitments. Policymakers in Kiev, however, wanted to quell the uprising by force, he added.<br /><br />Russia and Ukraine were close to ending the hostilities in the early days of the conflict, Putin said. However, once Moscow pulled its troops away from the area near the Ukrainian capital in the spring of 2022, Kiev ditched all diplomacy, caving in to Western pressure to fight Moscow until the very end, according to the president.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">[02] ‘Just threat mongering’ – Putin on claims that Russia wants to attack NATO</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Russia would only engage in a military conflict with a NATO nation such as Poland or Latvia if it is attacked, Putin said. Any Western claims to the contrary are “just threat mongering.” <br /><br />Speculation that Russia would use nuclear weapons against Ukraine or cause some kind of escalation of the conflict are “just horror stories for people in the street in order to extort additional money from US taxpayers and European taxpayers in the confrontation with Russia,” he claimed.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">[03] ‘Unlike the US, Russia is not afraid of China’</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Unlike the US, Russia is not afraid of the rise of China, Putin said, calling Carlson’s suggestion that BRICS risks being “completely dominated by the Chinese economy” a “boogeyman story.” <br /><br />He went on to say that Beijing’s foreign policy is aimed at finding compromises, not aggression, adding that Russia has created balanced trade turnover with China.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">[04] ‘If you want an end to the conflict, stop sending arms to Ukraine’</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">If the US wants to stop the Ukraine conflict, it should stop sending arms to Kiev, Putin said, adding that if this happened, the hostilities would end within weeks. <br /><br />Putin went on to say it was “ridiculous and very sad” that Kiev listened to then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and refused to sign a draft truce with Russia that was agreed on during peace talks in 2022. The conflict continues on to this day, while Johnson himself is no longer in office, he noted.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">[05] Relations with the West</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Putin said Russia accepted the collapse of the Soviet Union and expected that once all ideological differences were eliminated, it could engage in cooperation with the West. <br /><br />But this never happened, and the US and its “satellites” supported separatism and terrorism in the northern Caucasus in the 1990s by providing political, informational, financial, and military support to insurgents. The West was also involved in the coup d’etat in Ukraine in 2014.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">[06] Putin on NATO expansion</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">NATO promised that it would not expand its territory eastwards, but quickly broke this promise by bringing all of Eastern Europe and Baltic states into the fold, Putin said. The US-led military bloc now intends to drag Ukraine in, he added. <br /><br />Putin called the West’s approach to Ukraine a colossal political mistake, pointing to NATO’s 2008 promise to accept the country into the bloc, as well as the Western-supported coup d’etat in Kiev in 2014. The new Ukrainian government’s campaign to persecute those who opposed the coup was a threat to Crimea, forcing Moscow to take the region under its own protection, he added.<br /><br />Putin noted that he had asked former US President Bill Clinton about whether Russia could join NATO, but Clinton said it would not be possible. If, however, the US leader had said yes, it would have ushered in a period of rapprochement between Moscow and the military alliance, Putin stated.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">[07] ‘Who blew up Nord Stream?’ – Carlson to Putin</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Asked by Carlson who he believes blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia and Germany through the Baltic Sea, Putin replied: “You,” referring to the US and its allies. When pressed whether he has any proof of CIA or NATO involvement, the Russian leader said that in cases like this, one should first look for those who would benefit from the attacks, and who had the capability to carry them out.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">[08] Elon Musk ‘cannot be stopped’ – Putin</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Billionaire Elon Musk, who is pushing forward technical progress, including by implanting a neurochip into a human brain, “cannot be stopped,” Putin said, adding that agreements and regulations on this technology should be reached. The president compared recent achievements in artificial intelligence and genetics to the development of nuclear weapons in the 20th century, explaining that when nations across the world started to sense the danger, they forged agreements to regulate the new technology.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">[09] Putin does not rule out the release of Gershkovich</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Asked whether Moscow is prepared to release US journalist Evan Gershkovich (who was arrested on espionage charges in Russia last year) as a gesture of goodwill, Putin said that Russia has been prepared to work with the West, but this has not been reciprocated. However, Putin did not rule out the release of Gershkovich, adding that this would require flexibility from Western intelligence services. </span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">[10] ‘The US-led West’ will always support those who antagonize Russia – Putin on Zelensky</span><br /></b><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Zelensky was elected president on a platform of peace, but allied himself with “neo-Nazis and nationalists” after taking office, Putin said. He gave two reasons for this. <br /><br />The first is that people like this are “aggressive and… you can expect anything from them,” and the second is that “the US-led West supports them and will always support those who antagonize Russia.” It was “beneficial and safe” for Zelensky, but obviously betrayed the promises he made to voters, Putin said, adding: After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine went on a quest to find its national identity, but found no better option other than promoting “false heroes” who collaborated with the Nazis during WWII.</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">Video Exclusive: Tucker Carlson Interviews Vladimir Putin</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fOCWBhuDdDo" width="481" youtube-src-id="fOCWBhuDdDo"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><b>Video Source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOCWBhuDdDo" target="_blank">Tucker Carlson</a></b><br /><br /><br /></span>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-15372774244679814572024-01-11T22:30:00.000-05:002024-01-11T22:30:34.467-05:00US, UK begin bombing Yemen<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIked29rCi9jNMhzdAKZEySlLKtFLtchuF24oH0JJdzB98a03TG4JAD4-6tfrUj9e4ZWPcbNhkO37WVzO4JdRSTZWrL-tY0LWQEDetZLptBVF3Y665Y_BU31wxQdehTwWEg09nN2w4Z8XF8b6bxrcY_jIKCTODzlnk7SXQt3ZekAYtuHBZWVUsZSC9blU/s768/20240111%20%E2%80%93%20US,%20UK%20begin%20bombing%20Yemen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIked29rCi9jNMhzdAKZEySlLKtFLtchuF24oH0JJdzB98a03TG4JAD4-6tfrUj9e4ZWPcbNhkO37WVzO4JdRSTZWrL-tY0LWQEDetZLptBVF3Y665Y_BU31wxQdehTwWEg09nN2w4Z8XF8b6bxrcY_jIKCTODzlnk7SXQt3ZekAYtuHBZWVUsZSC9blU/w640-h360/20240111%20%E2%80%93%20US,%20UK%20begin%20bombing%20Yemen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">FILE PHOTO: British Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons fighter aircraft fly at RAF Coningsby on May 16, 2023 in Coningsby, England. © Christopher Furlong / Getty Images</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The US and UK have begun carrying out strikes on Yemen in the early hours of Friday local time. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The action comes after Washington and London vowed to retaliate against attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Houthis have pledged support for Gaza during the ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. They have been launching drones and missiles at merchant vessels, as well as warships patrolling the vital waterway. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The US and the UK have launched an attack on Yemen, striking the cities of Sanaa and Hodeidah, Houthi spokesman Abdulsalam Jahaf said early on Friday. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">US President Joe Biden said that the Western coalition has “successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“Today’s defensive action follows this extensive diplomatic campaign and Houthi rebels’ escalating attacks against commercial vessels,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House. He added that the military action sends “a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation” in the region. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak released a statement in the early hours of Friday, saying that the Royal Air Force “has carried out targeted strikes against military facilities used by Houthi rebels in Yemen.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The PM accused the Houthis of “destabilizing” commercial shipping in the Red Sea. “Their reckless actions are risking lives at sea and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen,” Sunak said. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“This cannot stand,” he added, describing the strikes as “limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defense.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Houthi spokesman Abdulsalam Jahaf claimed that “a number of American and British warships have been hit” during “a major battle in the Red Sea.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“Now America, Britain, and Israel are launching raids on Hodeidah, Sanaa, Dhamar, and Saada,” Jahaf said on X (formerly Twitter). “We will discipline them, God willing.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“Whoever is involved, will pay the price,” he wrote on X. “We will not stop our attack until you leave the area.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The strikes targeted “sites associated with the Houthis’ unmanned aerial vehicle, ballistic and cruise missile, and coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities,” US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said. He added that the US reserved the right to “take follow-on actions” to protect its forces. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">UK Secretary of Defense Grant Shapps announced that four Eurofighter Typhoon jets “conducted precision strikes on two Houthi military sites.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Riyadh has called for “restraint” and urged to “avoid escalation.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is following with great concern the military operations taking place in the Red Sea and the raids on a number of sites in the Republic of Yemen,” the kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said in statement, as quoted by Al Jazeera. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Officially known as Ansar Allah (‘Supporters of God’), the Houthis declared solidarity with Gaza in late October, reacting to Israel’s offensive against the Palestinian enclave. They have since carried out over 20 attacks on various shipping vessels in the Red Sea, a major trade route connecting Europe and Asia via the Suez Canal. Major shipping companies have responded by rerouting their ships around Africa, driving up prices and insurance costs. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">On Tuesday, the US Central Command announced that its ships and airplanes shot down more than 20 missiles and drones launched at vessels in the Red Sea. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“We cannot have a situation where a major sea route, a major ability to move goods around the world is being cut off by terrorists and thugs and we therefore must act,” British Defense Secretary Grant Schapps said after the incident. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Jahaf responded to threats from Washington and London by declaring on X that the Houthis will “respond to any American aggression,” and make the US “kneel and burn its battleships and all its bases and everyone who co-operates with it, no matter what the cost.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“The world must prepare to hear America's defeat, and I say it with all pride: We will tread on America with our feet, and whoever does not know us, the battlefields will know about our strength and strength,” Jahaf had said. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Between 2015 and 2023, the Houthis had fought to a standstill a regional coalition led by Saudi Arabia that sought to restore the previous Yemeni government to power. The US had backed the Saudis with intelligence and military supplies.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-2258387848922603772023-11-01T05:36:00.003-04:002023-11-01T18:43:48.358-04:00Top UN official resigns over body’s failure to stop ‘genocide’ of Palestinians<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsI0pzkZANfOS350oQ8vPiyzLS_8o8T_l2SakdCTk1oY8qA6ulDDGWeY7KeC5mteyjpzzZ3FkZmcUozvS4dr5opQ46RhNi_q1JUVZmD_uHOJN2p4gtgmS_zo2_9OGwtxY29QMOipBLpausDcv8zjJpnp9qcyPTEVUrl1q9SyjvJuwVQKhVIjr1W15kUs/s768/20231101%20-Top%20UN%20official%20resigns%20over%20body%E2%80%99s%20failure%20to%20stop%20%E2%80%98genocide%E2%80%99%20of%20Palestinians.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsI0pzkZANfOS350oQ8vPiyzLS_8o8T_l2SakdCTk1oY8qA6ulDDGWeY7KeC5mteyjpzzZ3FkZmcUozvS4dr5opQ46RhNi_q1JUVZmD_uHOJN2p4gtgmS_zo2_9OGwtxY29QMOipBLpausDcv8zjJpnp9qcyPTEVUrl1q9SyjvJuwVQKhVIjr1W15kUs/w640-h360/20231101%20-Top%20UN%20official%20resigns%20over%20body%E2%80%99s%20failure%20to%20stop%20%E2%80%98genocide%E2%80%99%20of%20Palestinians.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Flames and smoke rise in Tel al-Hawa neighborhof the Gaza City on October 30, 2023. (Photo by via Getty Images) © Getty Images / Anadolu Agency / Ali Jadallah</i></b></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/586302-un-official-gaza-resignation/" target="_blank">RT</a></span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The organization has “surrendered to the power of the US” and given in to the “Israeli lobby,” Craig Mokhiber has said <br /><br />The director of the UN’s human rights office (OHCHR) in New York, Craig Mokhiber, has resigned from his post, citing the body’s failure to properly address the Israel-Palestine crisis. Instead of doing its job, the UN has “surrendered to the power of the US” and given in to the “Israeli lobby,” while the “European, ethno-nationalist, settler colonial project in Palestine has entered its final phase,” the senior official argued. <br /><br />“Once again, we are seeing a genocide unfolding before our eyes, and the Organization that we serve appears powerless to stop it,” Mokhiber said in a letter to UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Volker Turk, published on Tuesday. <br /><br />The official squarely described the ongoing Israeli action in the Gaza Strip as “genocide,” acknowledging that this word “has often been subject to political abuse.” <br /><br />“But the current wholesale slaughter of the Palestinian people, rooted in an ethno-nationalist settler colonial ideology … leaves no room for doubt or debate,” Mokhiber argued. <br /><br />This is a text-book case of genocide. The European, ethno-nationalist, settler colonial project in Palestine has entered its final phase, toward the expedited destruction of the last remnants of indigenous Palestinian life in Palestine. <br /><br />The governments of the US, the UK, and “much of Europe are wholly complicit in the horrific assault,” not only through a mere failure to fulfill their international obligations but by “actively arming the assault, providing economic and intelligence support, and giving political and diplomatic cover for Israel’s atrocities,” Mokhiber stated. The “cover” is further reinforced by “Western corporate media, increasingly captured and state-adjacent,” which has been “continuously dehumanizing Palestinians to facilitate the genocide, and broadcasting propaganda for war and advocacy of national, racial, or religious hatred,” he stressed. <br /><br />The governments of the US, the UK, and “much of Europe are wholly complicit in the horrific assault,” not only through a mere failure to fulfill their international obligations but by “actively arming the assault, providing economic and intelligence support, and giving political and diplomatic cover for Israel’s atrocities,” Mokhiber stated. The “cover” is further reinforced by “Western corporate media, increasingly captured and state-adjacent,” which has been “continuously dehumanizing Palestinians to facilitate the genocide, and broadcasting propaganda for war and advocacy of national, racial, or religious hatred,” he stressed. <br /><br />Mokhiber believes the UN used to have “principles” and “authority” rooted in the body’s “integrity,” such as during apartheid in South Africa, but it has lost all of the above over the years. The UN has repeatedly failed to stop genocides, Mokhiber noted, listing events in Rwanda and Bosnia, the genocide of the Yazidis by the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), and the Rohingya in Myanmar as examples. <br /><br />“In recent decades, key parts of the UN have surrendered to the power of the US and to the fear of the Israel Lobby, to abandon these principles, and to retreat from international law itself. We have lost a lot in this abandonment, not least our own global credibility. But the Palestinian people have sustained the biggest losses as a result of our failures,” he stated. <br /><br />To fix the situation, the UN should “learn from the principled stance taken in cities around the world in recent days as masses of people stand up against the genocide, even at risk of beatings and arrest,” he suggested. Apart from that, he called upon the body to drop the “illusory two-state solution,” advocating the creation of a “single, democratic, secular state in all of historic Palestine,” which would ensure the “dismantling” of Israel, described by the official as a “deeply racist, settler-colonial project.”</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTun_hUbxX1udLS9-9zCUi0qX01ICBIHRNYMygIFdnbPAr7RRCxr21cOOd7zkDRObXafjyyUvxACcUfekXMoiecIAoDDIWtEA3A__tbvPifPsrB_mJISt_E7axB1wSVRw7Q_twGWSlxC9zvuiWedDzijo4GmJ9KTWKIcIxqjdr2wJnyLvXVNsyeOmTAXg/s2285/Resignation%20Letter%20-%20UN%20High%20Commissioner%20for%20Human%20Rights%20-%2001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2285" data-original-width="1700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTun_hUbxX1udLS9-9zCUi0qX01ICBIHRNYMygIFdnbPAr7RRCxr21cOOd7zkDRObXafjyyUvxACcUfekXMoiecIAoDDIWtEA3A__tbvPifPsrB_mJISt_E7axB1wSVRw7Q_twGWSlxC9zvuiWedDzijo4GmJ9KTWKIcIxqjdr2wJnyLvXVNsyeOmTAXg/w476-h640/Resignation%20Letter%20-%20UN%20High%20Commissioner%20for%20Human%20Rights%20-%2001.jpg" width="476" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-23318424603486680782023-10-07T12:54:00.002-04:002023-10-07T23:19:10.183-04:00Gaza and Palestine Strike Back<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6A-KEPjYjPhjaPxUp05Hd4nwJ36OZ4-Qe2HHLnnaO5hYYw4NUtL9luUenXWH8tmKsGt5RDF9Kwj76InVkdnKU8cI2kJ63uXjRLb3E4bOvG-tw9LH2CRABfs7pI2u72suu2Mk1YKl04Mgnkq8iLF1Cy7YqLFKk0p_5rIG545l8O3f66ereoluuqz4J04/s1920/20231007%20-%20Gaza%20and%20Palestine%20Strike%20Back.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6A-KEPjYjPhjaPxUp05Hd4nwJ36OZ4-Qe2HHLnnaO5hYYw4NUtL9luUenXWH8tmKsGt5RDF9Kwj76InVkdnKU8cI2kJ63uXjRLb3E4bOvG-tw9LH2CRABfs7pI2u72suu2Mk1YKl04Mgnkq8iLF1Cy7YqLFKk0p_5rIG545l8O3f66ereoluuqz4J04/w640-h360/20231007%20-%20Gaza%20and%20Palestine%20Strike%20Back.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><b><i>By: Stewart Brennan </i></b><br /><br />On Saturday October 7th, 2023, after 75 years of brutal and violent oppression, the Palestinian group of Hamas launched an attack on Israel from the imprisoned Gaza strip. <br /><br />The Palestinian group launched thousands of small rockets at Israel and deployed its army to infiltrate illegal Israeli settlements near the border with Gaza on Saturday morning. A number of people were killed with many wounded in the surprise attacks. <br /><br />Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his country was “at war” and promised a retaliation that they “have never known before.” The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) responded by sending dozens of warplanes to carpet bomb the Gaza strip. <br /><br />In reality, the Palestinian military operation on Saturday October 7th, is actually a natural result due to decades of “systemic oppression” and genocide by the Zionist occupation regime. <br /><br />Let’s be clear here, Palestine does not have the means to defend itself nor have they been given the suitable arms by anyone to confront the Israeli IDF who’s tanks and aircraft and superior military equipment are provided by the western powers. Gaza does not have tanks or aircraft to defend itself, only a determined desperation to survive.<br /><br />The military force in Israel has been used by successive Zionist regimes for the past 75 years to conduct a criminal systematic genocide of the Palestinian people. But the result of this latest escalation by Hamas will now allow the Israeli’s not only to carpet bomb the Gaza strip, but kill tens of thousands of innocent people…a result that the Israeli regimes of the past have openly called for with an absent western press. <br /><br />In reality, no country would ever declare war on another country unless it knew it had a superior advantage…Hamas and the Palestinian people do not have a superior military and so the question becomes why did they attack Israel today Saturday October 7th, 2023? <br /><br />Is it because of the 75th anniversary of the state of Israel that was violently carved out of Palestine? Or is it a peak in the anger and frustration due to the 75 years of barbaric occupation and treatment of the indigenous people of Palestine? <br /><br />With Israel in political turmoil for the past two years and with a never ending stream of war criminals in charge of the state, Israel’s regime actually welcome’s war for several reasons. <br /><br />1. it unifies its politically divided people to focus on the violent attack against them.<br /><br />2. it allows Israel to pull out all the stops and declare war on Palestine and anyone that helps them. <br /><br />3. it fulfills Israel's plan of genocide in Palestine.<br /><br />4. it brings the World’s attention to them as the victim giving them carte blanche in reprisals.<br /><br />5. it escalates the war and occupation of more land in the surrounding countries of Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan </span><span style="font-size: medium;">by Zionist claims that Israel is under threat by all those around them.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Just to be clear, I do not support violence by anyone nor do I support violent regimes…but as an Irish descendant, I do understand that occupation creates massive suffering and horrors that drives people of the occupied state to retaliate. And so, everyone must understand that the occupation of Palestine must end before peace will ever be achieved. <br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Israel has never intended to end their violent occupation of Palestine. Most people in Europe and North America have no clue as to what is really going on in the Middle East because the mainstream news that they watch in their countries, refuse to report what is actually going on over there. The mainstream news is culpable for crimes against humanity and that extends to the willful participants in the western governments as well, who only support the Israeli regime to defend itself. They do not support the right to the Palestinian people to defend themselves against the Zionist regimes crimes, in fact, they completely ignore the atrocities inflicted on the Palestinian people by successive Israeli regimes. In other words, they don’t supply the Palestinian people with tanks and aircraft to protect themselves nor do they train their soldiers, fund the state or place sanctions on the Israeli aggressor.<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">North American and European governments claim they support human rights for all but only for those that they support. It mirrors their willful ignorance when they support the violent Nazi elements in Ukraine over the Russian speaking people of Ukraine. In Ukraine, the western nations arm and train the violent regime that they backed in a violent coup and their genocide of the Russian speaking Ukrainians that they also put economic sanctions on. </span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />So western support for human rights is really a false claim which is proven when they support violence committed by aggressive nations and regimes on defenseless people. <br /><br />In my view, any western politician that supports violence and genocide by any regime in a conflict are despicable low life cowards that will do or say anything to aggrandize themselves to the wealth and power of economically powerful lobby groups. They are the scum of the earth and should not hold positions of power in any of our nations.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the violent conflict in Palestine and Israel will not end as long as this type of mentality continues to plague our western parliaments and governing houses. Only an informed population can bring an end to this sick mentality but unfortunately, the western nations don’t have truthful or honest reporting in its mainstream media. While they have also applied censorship to all the voices reporting the facts on the ground. Therefore, all the news going forward will be bad and you can be sure that the mainstream media and our governments will do their best to stoke the anger of their audience using severely edited narratives that paints the occupation regime as a victim. <br /><br />Here are a few links and videos for people who would like to know a little history of the region. But hurry, it won’t be long before these videos are censored as well. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5780HkiPVNc&list=PL46F13C0EE474C2E0" target="_blank">Documentary - Occupation 101</a></b></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Palestine: Timeline by John Rees</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="330" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q77_qJf_-h8" width="494" youtube-src-id="q77_qJf_-h8"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;">2009 - Gaza in Plain Language</div></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="347" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QFK5TNcmEmg" width="493" youtube-src-id="QFK5TNcmEmg"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><br /> <p></p></div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-24905861642287783552023-10-06T14:33:00.000-04:002023-10-06T14:33:23.692-04:00Vladimir Putin Valdai 2023 (Full Transcript)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWeA7Lwze3lm_h20LGHKUMs2XKIe9RCxPvlMEkOWkzwMQ6W187MhCJ03WhmPOVHdVp8ElTIJCj4Mwg3uK54PFDH6jO5_WJLKtl3IUCjoRSnhQVr5W6LkuiJpQ-7R54i5BtbT4o5zVb6Ho1v2pbGT2HbeHWr4jRxWJjk-hXtA7WAsLOBdVW2i58usKbiI/s1880/20231005%20-%20Vladimir%20Putin%20-%20Valdai%20Discussion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="1880" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWeA7Lwze3lm_h20LGHKUMs2XKIe9RCxPvlMEkOWkzwMQ6W187MhCJ03WhmPOVHdVp8ElTIJCj4Mwg3uK54PFDH6jO5_WJLKtl3IUCjoRSnhQVr5W6LkuiJpQ-7R54i5BtbT4o5zVb6Ho1v2pbGT2HbeHWr4jRxWJjk-hXtA7WAsLOBdVW2i58usKbiI/w640-h394/20231005%20-%20Vladimir%20Putin%20-%20Valdai%20Discussion.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Plenary session of the 20th anniversary meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club. Photo: Grigoriy Sisoev, RIA Novosti</b></i></div><div style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/72444" target="_blank">Link to Official Transcript</a></b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin took part in the plenary session of the 20th anniversary meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The meeting’s theme was “Fair multipolarity: How to ensure security and development for everyone.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Research Director of the Valdai International Discussion Club Fyodor Lukyanov acts as the discussion’s moderator. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">* * * </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Participants in the plenary session, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I am glad to welcome you all in Sochi at the anniversary meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club. The moderator has already mentioned that this is the 20th annual meeting. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In keeping with its traditions, our, or should I say your forum, has brought together political leaders and researchers, experts and civil society activists from many countries around the world, once again reaffirming its high status as a relevant intellectual platform. The Valdai discussions invariably reflect the most important global political processes in the 21st century in their entirety and complexity. I am certain that this will also be the case today, as it probably was in the preceding days when you debated with each other. It will also stay this way moving forward because our objective is basically to build a new world. And it is at these decisive stages that you, my colleagues, have an extremely important role to play and bear special responsibility as intellectuals. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Over the years of the club’s work, both Russia and the world have seen drastic, and even dramatic, colossal changes. Twenty years is not a long period by historical standards, but during eras when the entire world order is crumbling, time seems to shrink. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I think you will agree that more events have taken place in the past 20 years than over decades in some historical periods before, and it was major changes that dictated the fundamental transformation of the very principles of international relations. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In the early 21st century, everybody hoped that states and peoples had learned the lessons of the expensive and destructive military and ideological confrontations of the previous century, saw their harmfulness and the fragility and interconnectedness of our planet, and understood that the global problems of humanity call for joint action and the search for collective solutions, while egotism, arrogance and disregard for real challenges would inevitably lead to a dead-end, just like the attempts by more powerful countries to force their opinions and interests onto everyone else. This should have become obvious to everyone. It should have, but it has not. It has not. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">When we met for the first time at the club’s meeting nearly 20 years ago, our country was entering a new stage in its development. Russia was emerging from an extremely difficult period of convalescence after the Soviet Union’s dissolution. We launched the process of building a new and what we saw as a more just world order energetically and with good will. It is a boon that our country can make a huge contribution because we have things to offer to our friends, partners and the world as a whole. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Regrettably, our interest in constructive interaction was misunderstood, was seen as obedience, as an agreement that the new world order would be created by those who declared themselves the winners in the Cold War. It was seen as an admission that Russia was ready to follow in others’ wake and not to be guided by our own national interests but by somebody else’s interests. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Over these years, we warned more than once that this approach would not only lead to a dead-end but that it was fraught with the increasing threat of a military conflict. But nobody listened to us or wanted to listen to us. The arrogance of our so-called partners in the West went through the roof. This is the only way I can put it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The United States and its satellites have taken a steady course towards hegemony in military affairs, politics, the economy, culture and even morals and values. Since the very beginning, it has been clear to us that attempts to establish a monopoly were doomed to fail. The world is too complicated and diverse to be subjected to one system, even if it is backed by the enormous power of the West accumulated over centuries of its colonial policy. Your colleagues as well – many of them are absent today, but they do not deny that to a significant degree, the prosperity of the West has been achieved by robbing colonies for several centuries. This is a fact. Essentially, this level of development has been achieved by robbing the entire planet. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The history of the West is essentially the chronicle of endless expansion. Western influence in the world is an immense military and financial pyramid scheme that constantly needs more “fuel” to support itself, with natural, technological and human resources that belong to others. This is why the West simply cannot and is not going to stop. Our arguments, reasoning, calls for common sense or proposals have simply been ignored. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I have said this publicly to both our allies and partners. There was a moment when I simply suggested: perhaps we should also join NATO? But no, NATO does not need a country like ours. No. I want to know, what else do they need? We thought we became part of the crowd, got a foot in the door. What else were we supposed to do? There was no more ideological confrontation. What was the problem? I guess the problem was their geopolitical interests and arrogance towards others. Their self-aggrandisement was and is the problem. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We are compelled to respond to ever-increasing military and political pressure. I have said many times that it was not us who started the so-called “war in Ukraine.” On the contrary, we are trying to end it. It was not us who orchestrated a coup in Kiev in 2014 – a bloody and anti-constitutional coup. When [similar events] happen in other places, we immediately hear all the international media – mainly those subordinate to the Anglo-Saxon world, of course – this is unacceptable, this is impossible, this is anti-democratic. But the coup in Kiev was acceptable. They even cited the amount of money spent on this coup. Anything was suddenly acceptable. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">At that time, Russia tried its best to support the people of Crimea and Sevastopol. We did not try to overthrow the government or intimidate the people in Crimea and Sevastopol, threatening them with ethnic cleansing in the Nazi spirit. It was not us who tried to force Donbass to obey by shelling and bombing. We did not threaten to kill anyone who wanted to speak their native language. Look, everyone here is an informed and educated person. It might be possible – excuse my ‘mauvais ton’ – to brainwash millions of people who perceive reality through the media. But you must know what was really going on: they have been bombing the place for nine years, shooting and using tanks. That was a war, a real war unleashed against Donbass. And no one counted the dead children in Donbass. No one cried for the dead in other countries, especially in the West. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This war, the one that the regime sitting in Kiev started with the vigorous and direct support from the West, has been going on for more than nine years, and Russia’s special military operation is aimed at stopping it. And it reminds us that unilateral steps, no matter who takes them, will inevitably prompt retaliation. As we know, every action has an equal opposite reaction. That is what any responsible state, every sovereign, independent and self-respecting country does. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Everyone realises that in an international system where arbitrariness reigns, where all decision-making is up to those who think they are exceptional, sinless and right, any country can be attacked simply because it is disliked by a hegemon, who has lost any sense of proportion – and I would add, any sense of reality. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Unfortunately, we have to admit that our counterparties in the West have lost their sense of reality and have crossed every line. They really should not have done this. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Ukraine crisis is not a territorial conflict, and I want to make that clear. Russia is the world’s largest country in terms of land area, and we have no interest in conquering additional territory. We still have much to do to properly develop Siberia, Eastern Siberia, and the Russian Far East. This is not a territorial conflict and not an attempt to establish regional geopolitical balance. The issue is much broader and more fundamental and is about the principles underlying the new international order. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Lasting peace will only be possible when everyone feels safe and secure, understands that their opinions are respected, and that there is a balance in the world where no one can unilaterally force or compel others to live or behave as a hegemon pleases even when it contradicts the sovereignty, genuine interests, traditions, or customs of peoples and countries. In such an arrangement, the very concept of sovereignty is simply denied and, sorry, is thrown in the garbage. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Clearly, commitment to bloc-based approaches and the push to drive the world into a situation of ongoing “us versus them” confrontation is a bad legacy of the 20th century. It is a product of Western political culture, at least of its most aggressive manifestations. To reiterate, the West – at least a certain part of the West, the elite – always need an enemy. They need an enemy to justify the need for military action and expansion. But they also need an enemy to maintain internal control within a certain system of this very hegemon and within blocs like NATO or other military-political blocs. There must be an enemy so everyone can rally around the “leader.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The way other states run their lives is none of our business. However, we see how the ruling elite in many of them are forcing societies to accept norms and rules that the people – or at least a significant number of people and even the majority in some countries – are unwilling to embrace. But they are still urged to do so, with the authorities continually inventing justifications for their actions, attributing growing internal problems to external causes, and fabricating or exaggerating non-existent threats. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Russia is a favourite subject for these politickers. We have grown used to this over the course of history, of course. But they try to portray those who are not willing to blindly follow these Western elite groups as enemies. They have used this approach with various countries, including the People’s Republic of China, and they tried to do this to India in certain situations. They are flirting with it now, as we can see very clearly. We are aware of and see the scenarios they are using in Asia. I would like to say that the Indian leadership is independent and strongly nationally oriented. I think these attempts are pointless, yet they continue with them. They try to portray the Arab world as an enemy; they do it selectively and try to act accurately, but this is what it comes down to. They even try to present Muslims as a hostile environment, and so on and so forth. In fact, anyone who acts independently and in its own interests is immediately seen by the Western elite as a hindrance that must be removed. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Artificial geopolitical associations are being forced onto the world, and restricted-access blocs are being created. We see this happening in Europe, where an aggressive policy of NATO expansion has been pursued for decades, in the Asia-Pacific region and in South Asia, where they are trying to destroy an open and inclusive cooperation architecture. A bloc-based approach, if we call a spade a spade, limits individual states’ rights and restricts their freedom to develop along their own path, attempting to drive them into a “cage” of obligations. In a way, this obviously amounts to the dispossession of part of their sovereignty, often followed by the enforcement of their own solutions not only in the area of security but also in other areas, primarily the economy, which is happening now in relations between the United States and Europe. There is no need to explain this now. If necessary, we can talk about it in detail during the discussion after my opening remarks. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">To attain these goals, they try to replace international law with a “rules-based order,” whatever that means. It is not clear what rules these are and who invented them. It is just rubbish, but they are trying to plant this idea in the minds of millions of people. “You must live according to the rules.” What rules? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">And actually, if I may, our Western “colleagues,” especially those from the United States, don’t just arbitrarily set these rules, they teach others how to follow them, and how others should behave overall. All of this is done and expressed in a blatantly ill-mannered and pushy way. This is another manifestation of colonial mentality. All the time we hear, “you must,” “you are obligated,” “we are seriously warning you.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Who are you to do that? What right do you have to warn others? This is just amazing. Maybe those who say all this should get rid of their arrogance and stop behaving in such a way towards the global community that perfectly knows its objectives and interests, and should drop this colonial-era thinking? I want to tell them sometimes: wake up, this era has long gone and will never return. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I will say more: for centuries, such behavior led to the replication of one thing – big wars, with various ideological and quasi-moral justifications invented to justify these wars. Today this is especially dangerous. As you know, humankind has the means to easily destroy the whole planet, and ongoing mind manipulation, unbelievable in terms of scale, leads to losing a sense of reality. Clearly, a way out should be sought from this vicious circle. As I understand it, friends and colleagues, this is why you come here to address these vital issues at the Valdai Club venue. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In Russia’s Foreign Policy Concept, our country is characterised as an original civilisation-state. This wording clearly and concisely reflects how we understand not only our own development, but also the main principles of international order, which we hope will prevail. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">From our perspective, civilisation is a multifaceted concept subject to various interpretations. There was once an outwardly colonial interpretation whereby there was a “civilised world” serving as a model for the rest, and everyone was supposed to conform to those standards. Those who disagreed were to be coerced into this “civilisation” by the truncheon of the “enlightened” master. These times, as I said, are now in the past, and our understanding of civilisation is quite different. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">First, there are many civilisations, and none is superior or inferior to another. They are equal since each civilisation represents a unique expression of its own culture, traditions, and the aspirations of its people. For instance, in my case, it embodies the aspirations of my people, of which I am fortunate to be a part. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Outstanding thinkers from around the world who endorse the concept of a civilisation-based approach have engaged in profound contemplation of the meaning of “civilisation” as a concept. It is a complex phenomenon comprised of many components. Without delving too deeply into philosophy, which may not be appropriate here, let’s try to describe it pragmatically as it applies to current developments. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The essential characteristics of a civilisation-state encompass diversity and self-sufficiency, which, I believe, are two key components. Today’s world rejects uniformity, and each state and society strives to develop its own path of development which is rooted in culture and traditions, and is steeped in geography and historical experiences, both ancient and modern, as well as the values held by its people. This is an intricate synthesis that gives rise to a distinct civilisational community. Its strength and progress depend on its diversity and multifaceted nature. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Russia has been shaped over centuries as a nation of diverse cultures, religions, and ethnicities. The Russian civilisation cannot be reduced to a single common denominator, but it cannot be divided, either, because it thrives as a single spiritually and culturally rich entity. Maintaining the cohesive unity of such a nation is a formidable challenge. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We have faced severe challenges throughout the centuries; we have always pulled through, sometimes at great cost, but each time we learned our lessons for the future, strengthening our national unity and the integrity of the Russian state. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This experience we have gained is truly invaluable today. The world is becoming increasingly diverse, and its complex processes can no longer be handled with simple governance methods, painting everyone with the same brush, as we say, which is something certain states are still trying to do. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">There is something important to add to this. A truly effective and strong state system cannot be imposed from the outside. It grows naturally from the civilisational roots of countries and peoples, and in this regard, Russia is an example of how it really happens in life, in practice. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Relying on your civilisation is a necessary condition for success in the modern world, unfortunately a disorderly and dangerous world that has lost its bearings. More and more states are coming to this conclusion, becoming aware of their own interests and needs, opportunities and limitations, their own identity and degree of interconnectedness with the world around them. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I am confident that humanity is not moving towards fragmentation into rivaling segments, a new confrontation of blocs, whatever their motives, or a soulless universalism of a new globalisation. On the contrary, the world is on its way to a synergy of civilisation-states, large spaces, communities identifying as such. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">At the same time, civilisation is not a universal construct, one for all – there is no such thing. Each civilisation is different, each is culturally self-sufficient, drawing on its own history and traditions for ideological principles and values. Respecting oneself naturally comes from respecting others, but it also implies respect from others. That is why a civilisation does not impose anything on anyone, but does not allow anything to be imposed on itself either. If everyone lives by this rule, we can live in harmonious coexistence and in creative interaction between everyone in international relations. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, protecting your civilisational choice is a huge responsibility. It’s a response to external infringements, the development of close and constructive relationships with other civilisations and, most importantly, the maintenance of internal stability and harmony. All of us can see that today the international environment is, regrettably, unstable and quite aggressive, as I pointed out. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Here is one more essential thing: nobody should betray their civilisation. This is the path towards universal chaos; it is unnatural and, I would say, disgusting. For our part, we have always tried and continue to try to offer solutions that consider the interests of all sides. But our counterparts in the West seem to have forgotten the notions of reasonable self-restraint, compromise and a willingness to make concessions in the name of attaining a result that will suit all sides. No, they are literally fixated on only one goal: to push through their interests, here and now, and do it at any cost. If this is their choice, we will see what comes of it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">It sounds like a paradox, but the situation could change tomorrow, which is a problem. For example, regular elections can lead to changes on the domestic political stage. Today a country can insist on doing something at any cost, but its domestic political situation could change tomorrow, and they will start pushing through a different and sometimes even the opposite idea. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">A standout example is Iran’s nuclear programme. A US administration pushed through a solution, but the succeeding administration turned the matter the other way around. How can one work in these conditions? What are the guidelines? What can we rely on? Where are the guarantees? Are these the “rules” they are telling us about? This is nonsense and absurd. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Why is this happening, and why does everybody seem comfortable with it? The answer is that strategic thinking has been replaced with the short-term mercenary interests of not even countries or nations, but the succeeding groups of influence. This explains the unbelievable, if judged in Cold War terms, irresponsibility of the political elite groups, which have shed all fear and shame and think of themselves as guiltless. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The civilisational approach confronts these trends because it is based on the fundamental, long-term interests of states and peoples, interests that are dictated not by the current ideological situation, but by the entire historical experience and legacy of the past, on which the idea of a harmonious future rests. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">If everyone were guided by this, there would be far fewer conflicts in the world, I believe, and the approaches to resolving them would become much more rational, because all civilisations would respect each other, as I said, and would not try to change anyone based on their own notions. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Friends, I read with interest the report prepared by the Valdai Club for today’s meeting. It says that everyone is currently striving to understand and imagine a vision of the future. This is natural and understandable, especially for intellectual circles. In an era of radical change, when the world we’re used to is crumbling, it is very important to understand where we are heading and where we want to be. And, of course, the future is being created now, not only before our eyes, but by our own hands. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Naturally, when such massive, extremely complex processes are underway, it is hard or even impossible to predict the result. Regardless of what we do, life will make adjustments. But, at any rate, we need to realise what we are striving for, what we want to achieve. In Russia, there is such an understanding. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">First. We want to live in an open, interconnected world, where no one will ever try to put artificial barriers in the way of people’s communication, their creative fulfilment and prosperity. We need to strive to create an obstacle-free environment. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Second. We want the world’s diversity to be preserved and serve as the foundation for universal development. It should be prohibited to impose on any country or people how they should live and how they should feel. Only true cultural and civilisational diversity will ensure peoples’ wellbeing and a balance of interests. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Third, Russia stands for maximum representation. No one has the right or ability to rule the world for others and on behalf of others. The world of the future is a world of collective decisions made at the levels where they are most effective, and by those who are truly capable of making a significant contribution to resolving a specific problem. It is not that one person decides for everyone, and not even everyone decides everything, but those who are directly affected by this or that issue must agree on what to do and how to do it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fourth, Russia stands for universal security and lasting peace built on respect for the interests of everyone: from large countries to small ones. The main thing is to free international relations from the bloc approach and the legacy of the colonial era and the Cold War. We have been saying for decades that security is indivisible, and that it is impossible to ensure the security of some at the expense of the security of others. Indeed, harmony in this area can be achieved. You just need to put aside haughtiness and arrogance and stop looking at others as second-class partners or outcasts or savages. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fifth, we stand for justice for all. The era of exploitation, as I said twice, is in the past. Countries and peoples are clearly aware of their interests and capabilities and are ready to rely on themselves; and this increases their strength. Everyone should be given access to the benefits of today’s world, and attempts to limit it for any country or people should be considered an act of aggression. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Sixth, we stand for equality, for the diverse potential of all countries. This is a completely objective factor. But no less objective is the fact that no one is ready to take orders anymore or make their interests and needs dependent on anyone, above all on the rich and more powerful. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This is not just the natural state of the international community, but the quintessence of all of humankind’s historical experience. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">These are the principles that we would like to follow and that we invite all of our friends and colleagues to join. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Colleagues! </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Russia was, is and will be one of the foundations of this new world system, ready for constructive interaction with everyone who strives for peace and prosperity, but ready for tough opposition against those who profess the principles of dictatorship and violence. We believe that pragmatism and common sense will prevail, and a multipolar world will be established. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In conclusion, I would like to thank the forum’s organisers for your fundamental and qualified preparations, as always, as well as thank everyone at this anniversary meeting for your attention. Thank you very much.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />(Applause.) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov, Research Director of the Valdai International Discussion Club, moderator: Mr President, thank you very much for such a detailed presentation of these general issues, conceptual issues. Indeed, many – at the Valdai Club and elsewhere – have been trying to comprehend the framework that will replace the one that no longer works, but so far, we have not been very successful. We know what is no longer there, but we don’t know what will come to replace it. I think the points you just made are the first attempt to at least clearly outline the principles. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">If I may echo your statement – the part about civilisations and the civilisation-based approach is certainly thought provoking. You once said – it was actually a very long time ago – you used a vivid phrase, you said Russia’s borders “do not end anywhere.” If Russia’s borders don’t end, clearly the Russian civilisation is boundless by definition, fair and square. What does this mean? Where is it? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: You know, this was said for the first time in a conversation with one of the former Presidents of the United States, when he was looking at a map of the Russian Federation at my home in Ogaryovo; it certainly was a joke. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We all know this, but I would like to repeat: Russia remains the largest country in the world by area. On a more serious note, this primarily makes sense at the civilisational level. Our compatriots live [around the world] in large numbers; the Russian world is of a global nature; Russian is one of the official languages of the United Nations. In Latin America alone – I recently met with their parliamentarians – there are 300,000 Russians living there. They are everywhere: in Asia, in Africa, in Europe and certainly in North America. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">So, again, speaking seriously, as a civilisation, Russia has no borders, just like other civilisations have no borders either. Take India or China; look how many representatives of China, or how many representatives of India live in other countries. Various civilisations overlap and interact with each other. And it would be great if this interaction was natural and friendly, aimed at strengthening this balance. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: So, for you, civilisation is not about territory, but about people? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: Yes, of course, primarily it is about people. There will probably be many questions about Ukraine now. Our actions in Donbass, first and foremost, are dictated by the need to protect people. That is the underlying purpose of our actions. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: In that case, can you characterise the special military operation as a civilisational conflict? You said it is not a territorial conflict. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: It is primarily… I am not sure what kind of civilisation those on the other side of the front line are defending, but we are defending our traditions, our culture, and our people. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Okay. Since we have moved on to discuss Ukraine, I believe, a major European event begins in Spain today, and Vladimir Zelensky and several other important figures are there. Continuing support for Ukraine is being discussed. As we know, there has been some delay in the United States due to the crisis in Congress. So, it appears that Europe feels it has to assume this financial support. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Do you think they will cope with it? And what can we expect from this? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: We expect to see at least some semblance of common sense. As for whether they are able to cope with it or not, they are in a better position to answer this question. Of course, they will cope with it; I do not see any problem with expanding production and increasing the amount of money directed towards the war to prolong this conflict. But there are, of course, issues that, I believe, this audience is well aware of. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">If there is a delay, as you said, in the United States, it is more of a technical, or political and technical nature, so to speak, and is caused by budget issues, heavy debt burden, and the need to balance the budget. The question is how to balance it? Is it by supplying weapons to Ukraine and reducing budget expenditure, or by cutting social spending? No one is willing to cut social spending, since this move would strengthen the opposition party. That’s it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Eventually, they will probably find the money, and print some more. They printed over $9 trillion during the pandemic and post-pandemic period, so they will not think twice about printing more and spreading it worldwide, thereby exacerbating food inflation. They will most likely do that. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As for Europe, the situation there is more difficult because, if in the US, we still see GDP growth of 2.4 percent in the previous period, in Europe the matters are far worse. In 2021, their economic growth was 4.9 percent, and this year it will be 0.5 percent. And even this growth is mostly due to the southern countries, Italy and Spain, which showed some growth. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday, we discussed this with our experts; I think the growth in Italy and Spain is related mostly to increasing real estate prices and a certain revival of the tourism sector. The main economies of Europe are currently experiencing stagnation; and most manufacturing sectors are showing negative results. In the Federal Republic of Germany, it is minus 0.1 percent; in the Baltic countries – minus 2, or even minus 3 percent in Estonia, I believe; in the Netherlands and Austria, it is also dropping. This is particularly true of industrial production which is in a critical condition, if not a disaster, especially the chemical, glass and metallurgy sectors. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We know that due to relatively cheap energy prices in the United States and some administrative and financial decisions made there, many European production facilities are simply moving to the United States. They shut down in Europe and relocate to the US. This is a well-known fact, and this is what I hinted at some time earlier, when speaking at this forum. The burden is also growing on the people in the European countries, and this is also a fact, as confirmed by European statistics. The quality of life is getting worse, and was reduced by 1.5 percent over the past month, if I am not mistaken. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Can Europe manage or not? It can. But how? At the expense of the further worsening of its economy and the lives of the people in the European states. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: But our budget also cannot cover everything. Will we manage, unlike them? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: We are managing so far, and I have reason to believe that we will do so in the future. In the third quarter of this year, we had a budget surplus of over 660 billion rubles. This is the first thing. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Second. By the end of the year, we will see a budget deficit of about 1 percent. Our calculations show that in the next few years (2024 and 2025) the deficit will be about 1 percent. We also have a record-low unemployment rate – it stabilised at 3 percent. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Another important thing – this is a key moment and perhaps we will return to it again, but I believe it’s an important and fundamental phenomenon in our economy – that a natural restructuring of the economy began, because what we previously imported from Europe was cut from us, and like in 2014, when we introduced certain restrictions on the purchase of Western, European, primarily agricultural goods, were forced to invest in the development of agricultural production within the country. Yes, inflation has surged, but we then ensured that our manufacturers increased production of the goods we needed. And today, as you know, we fully cover our needs in all the basic agricultural products and basic types of food. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The same is now taking place in industry, and the main growth is in the manufacturing industries. Oil and gas revenues have dropped, but they are also providing an additional 3 percent, and non-oil and gas revenues, primarily in the processing industries – 43 percent, and this is primarily the steel industry, optics, and electronics. We have a lot to do in the field of microelectronics. We are really still at the beginning of our journey, but it is already growing. All together it gives a 43 percent increase. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We are rebuilding logistics; mechanical engineering is growing, and so on. Overall, we have a stable situation. We have overcome all the problems that arose after the sanctions were imposed on us and we began the next stage of development: on a new foundation, which is extremely important. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">It is very important for us to maintain this trend and not miss it. We do have some problems, including a labour shortage, that’s true, followed by some other issues. But our population’s real disposable income is growing. While it is dropping in Europe, in Russia it grew by more than 12 percent. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Here, our own issues include inflation, and it has grown: now it is 5.7 percent, but the Central Bank and the Government are taking concerted measures to neutralise these possible negative consequences. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: You mentioned the ongoing structural reorganisation. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Some critics might argue that this is really the militarisation of the economy. Are their claims valid? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: Look, our defence spending has indeed increased, but it encompasses more than just defence and also includes security. These expenses have approximately doubled, going from around 3 percent to approximately 6 percent, encompassing both defence and security. However, I would like to emphasise, as I previously mentioned and feel compelled to reiterate: we have achieved a budget surplus of over 660 billion rubles in the third quarter, and we anticipate a mere 1 percent deficit for this fiscal year. This is an overall healthy budget and a robust economy. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">So, claiming that we are spending too much on canons while neglecting butter is an inaccurate statement. Importantly, all our earlier announced development plans, fulfilling our strategic objectives, and upholding all the social responsibilities the government has undertaken with regard to the well-being of our citizens are being implemented. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Thank you. That is good news. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Mr President, apart from the Ukraine conflict, which we will undoubtedly discuss more, there have been significant developments in the South Caucasus in recent days and weeks. President of the European Council Charles Michel stated in a recent interview that Russia had betrayed the Armenian people. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: Who said that? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Charles Michel, the President of the European Council. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: Well, you know, we have a saying, “it’s rich to hear your horse bellow like that.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Your cow. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: Cow, horse, who cares. An animal. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Is there anything else? I apologise for interrupting. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Please, go ahead. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: Do you understand what happened recently? Following the well-known events and the breakup of the Soviet Union, a conflict erupted leading to ethnic clashes between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. It all began in the town of Sumgait and subsequently spilled over into Karabakh. This eventually resulted in Armenia gaining effective control over Karabakh and seven neighbouring Azerbaijani districts which constitute nearly 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory. This lasted for many decades. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I will say – and I am not disclosing any secret here – that in the past 15 years we have repeatedly suggested that our Armenian friends agree to compromises. What compromises? To return five districts to Azerbaijan around Karabakh and retain two of them, thus preserving territorial connectivity between Armenia and Karabakh. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">However, our Karabakh friends would always reply: No, it would pose certain threats to us. We responded: Listen, Azerbaijan is growing, its economy is advancing, it is an oil producing country, its population is already over 10 million, let’s compare the potential. This compromise should be reached while there is still an opportunity. For our part, we were confident that we would have the respective decisions taken by the UN Security Council, and would guarantee the security of this naturally emerging Lachin Corridor between Armenia and Karabakh, and guarantee the safety of Armenians who live there. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">But we were told that they could not do that. So what will you do? We will fight, they said. Well, okay, it all came down to the armed clashes in 2020, and then I also suggested to our friends and colleagues – by the way, I hope President Aliyev will not take offence at me, but at some point an agreement was reached that Azerbaijan’s troops would stop. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Frankly, I thought the issue had been resolved. I called Yerevan, and all of a sudden I heard: No, they need to leave the tiny area of Karabakh where the Azerbajani troops had entered. That was it. I said: Listen, what are you going to do? The same phrase: We will fight. I say: Listen, they will advance to the rear of your forces near Agdam within a few days, and it all will be over. Do you understand that? Yes. What will you do then? We will fight. Well, all right. So it happened the way it did. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In the end, we agreed with Azerbaijan that after advancing to the Shusha line and the city of Shusha itself, combat activities would be stopped. A respective statement was signed in November 2020 on stopping combat activities and deploying our peacekeepers. And this is another crucial point: the legal status of our peacekeepers was based exclusively on that November 2020 statement. No peacekeeping status ever entailed. I will not talk now about the reasons. Azerbaijan believed there was no need for it, and signing it without Azerbaijan made no sense. So the status was based, I repeat, exclusively on the November 2020 statement, and the only right the peacekeepers had was to monitor the ceasefire – and nothing else. Only to monitor the ceasefire. Nevertheless, this precarious situation lasted for some time. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Now you have mentioned the President of the European Council, Mr Michel, whom I respect. Mr Michel, President of France Macron and Mr Scholz, Chancellor of Germany, oversaw the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan gathering in Prague in the autumn of 2022 and signing a statement, under which Armenia recognised Karabakh as part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Moreover, the heads of the delegations and the leaders of Armenia directly stated the territory of Azerbaijan in square kilometres, which, of course, includes Karabakh, and emphasised that they recognise the sovereignty of Azerbaijan within the borders of the Azerbaijan SSR, which was once part of the USSR. And, as you know, Karabakh was also part of the Azerbaijan SSR. That, in fact, solved the main issue, which was absolutely crucial: the status of Karabakh. When Karabakh declared its independence, no one recognised this independence, not even Armenia, which is frankly strange for me, but still the decision was made: they did not recognise the independence of Karabakh. However, there in Prague they recognised that Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan. And then, at the beginning of 2023, they repeated it a second time at a similar meeting in Brussels. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You know, between us, though probably we can no longer say so, but still, if they came [to an agreement] … By the way, no one told us about this, I personally learned this from the press. Azerbaijan has always believed that Karabakh is part of its territory, but by defining the status of Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, Armenia made a qualitative change in its position. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">After this, President Aliyev came up to me at a meeting and said: you see, everyone recognised that Karabakh is ours; your peacekeepers are there on our territory. You see, even the status of our peacekeepers immediately underwent a qualitative change after the status of Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan was determined. He said: your military is on our territory and let us now agree on their status on bilateral basis. And Prime Minister Pashinyan confirmed: yes, now you have to talk bilaterally. That is, Karabakh is gone. You can say whatever you want about this status, but this was the key issue: the status of Karabakh. Everything revolved around it over the previous decades: how and when, who and where will determine the status. Now Armenia decided: Karabakh officially became part of Azerbaijan. This is the position of the Armenian state today. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">What should we have done? Everything that happened in the recent past, a week, two, three weeks ago – the blocking of the Lachin Corridor and other things – all of this was inevitable after the recognition of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Karabakh. It was only a matter of time: when and in what way Azerbaijan would establish constitutional order there within the framework of the Constitution of the Azerbaijani state. What could we say? How else could we react? Armenia recognised it, but what should we have done? Should we have said: no, we do not recognise it? This is nonsense, isn’t it? This is some kind of nonsense. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I am not going to talk about all the details of our discussions, as I believe it would be inappropriate, but what happened in recent days or weeks was an inevitable consequence of what was done in Prague and Brussels. Therefore, Mr Michel and his colleagues should have thought back then, when they apparently – I do not know, we should ask them about it – when were they privately, behind the scenes, trying to talk Prime Minister Pashinyan into taking this step. They should have collectively thought back then about the future of Armenians in Karabakh and should have at least outlined what awaits them in this situation. They should have outlined some form of integration of Karabakh into the Azerbaijani state, and a set of actions to ensure their security and rights. There is nothing there. There is just a statement that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan; that is it. So, what are we supposed to do if Armenia itself has made this decision? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">What did we do? We used everything within our legal means to provide humanitarian assistance. As you may be aware, our peacekeepers died protecting Armenians in Karabakh. We provided humanitarian aid and medical assistance, and ensured their safe passage. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Regarding our European “colleagues,” they should at least now send some humanitarian aid to help those unfortunate people – I have no other way of putting it – who left Nagorno-Karabakh. I think they will do it. But overall, we need to think about their long-term future. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Is Russia willing to support these people? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: I just said that we supported them. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: The ones who left. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: Our people died there protecting them, covering them, and providing humanitarian support. After all, all the refugees gathered around our peacekeepers. Thousands of them went there, mostly women and children. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, we are willing to help them. Armenia remains our ally. If there are humanitarian issues, and they are there, we are ready to discuss them and provide support to these people. That goes without saying. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I have just told you briefly how the events unfolded, but I have covered the main points. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Mr President, there is another fine point in this regard. Currently, the Azerbaijani leadership is cracking down very harshly on the leaders who served in Karabakh, including individuals who are well-known in Russia, such as Ruben Vardanyan, for example. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: He gave up Russian citizenship, as far as I know. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: He did, but he was a Russian citizen. Is there a way to urge the Azerbaijani leadership to show some leniency? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: We have always done that, and we are doing it now. As you are aware, I spoke with President Aliyev over the telephone, as we have always spoken before no matter what happened, and he assured me all that time that he would ensure the security and rights of the Armenian people in Nagorno-Karabakh. But now there are no Armenians left there. Do you know that they all have fled the place? There are simply no Armenians left there. Maybe a thousand people or so, no more. There is just no one left there. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As for the former leaders – I am not sure I want to get into the details – but I understand that they are not particularly welcome in Yerevan, either. However, I assume that now that for Azerbaijan has resolved all territorial issues, the Azerbaijani leadership will be willing to consider humanitarian aspects. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Thank you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Colleagues, please ask your questions. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Professor Feng Shaolei is one of our veteran members. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Feng Shaolei: Thank you very much. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Feng Shaolei, East China Normal University, Shanghai. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Mr President, I am delighted to see you again. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Beijing is going to host the October international conference on the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. At the same time, the initiative to link the Eurasian Partnership with the Belt and Road Initiative, something you and President Xi Jinping have promoted, has also been ongoing for almost ten years. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">My question is this: in the new situation, what new ideas and concrete proposals have you already prepared? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you very much. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: Indeed, we are returning to this subject, and indeed some are trying to sow doubts, suggesting that our Eurasian development project – the Eurasian Economic Union’s project, and President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative – might not share the same interests and might start competing with each other. As I have said many times, this is not the case. On the contrary, we believe that one project complements the other harmoniously. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Let us see where we stand now. Both China and Russia – Russia to a greater extent today, but China long before the events in Ukraine began – have been targeted with various kinds of sanctions by some of our partners; we know by whom exactly. At some point, these steps escalated to a kind of trade war between China and the United States, as the sanctions imposed on your country included restrictions on logistics. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We are interested in establishing new logistics routes, and China is also interested in this. Our trade is growing. We are now talking about the North – South corridor. China is developing supply chains through Central Asian states. We are interested in supporting this project, and we are building roads and railways toward this end. This is on the agenda of our negotiations. That’s the first point. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Secondly, there is a segment called real production and it is being added to the equation. We export goods to China, and China supplies us with goods we need. We are building logistics and production chains that are definitely in line with the goals that President Xi Jinping has set for the Chinese economy and are in line with our goals, which include economic growth and partnerships with other countries, especially in the modern world. These goals are clearly complementary. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I am not going to list specific projects now, but there are plenty of them, including those between China and Russia. We have built a bridge, as you know, and we have other logistical plans. As I said, we are expanding ties in the real economy. All the above will be the subject of our bilateral contacts and negotiations in multilateral formats. This is broad, voluminous, and capital-intensive work. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Once again, I would like to emphasise this: we have never targeted any of these efforts against anyone. This work from the beginning has been creative in nature and is aimed exclusively at achieving positive results for both of us – for Russia and China – and for our partners around the world. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Thank you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Richard Sakwa. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Richard Sakwa: You talked about changes in international politics; the emergence of sovereign states defending themselves as autonomous actors in world politics. Indeed, this is the case. Players are getting together in the BRICS+ organisation, which took place a few months ago, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">So the world is changing; international politics is changing; the states themselves are changing: they have now matured to the postcolonial states. Many of them, in this conference, have made it absolutely clear that they now want to be active members of the international community. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">However, international politics takes shape within the framework of the international system established in 1945: the United Nations system. Now, do you see an emerging contradiction between the changes in international politics and, if you like, the paralysis of the United Nations system, international law, and all of that? And how can Russia help overcome and make the United Nations work better? And for the contradictions in international politics to find a sort of more peaceful and developmental path into the future? Thank you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: You are absolutely right. There is a certain discrepancy between the framework created by the countries that won WWII in 1945 and the current situation in the world. The situation in the world in 1945 was completely different from what we see now. And it is clear that legal norms should be changed to suit changes in the world. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Opinions can differ. Some will say that the UN and international law created on the basis of the UN Charter have become obsolete and should be discarded, giving way to something new. However, there is a risk that we will destroy the system of international rules, the real rules, and international law based on the UN Charter without creating anything to replace it, and this will lead to universal chaos. We can already see elements of this, but if we consign the UN Charter to the dustbin of history without replacing it with anything new, the inevitable ensuing chaos will lead to extremely serious consequences. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Therefore, I believe that we should choose the path of changing international law in accordance with modern requirements and changes in the global situation. In this sense, the UN Security Council should have among its members countries with ever-increasing weight in international affairs and potential that allows them to influence decisions on the key international issues, which they are already doing. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">What countries are these? One is India, with a population of over 1.5 billion and an economy growing by over 7 percent, or more precisely, 7.4 or 7.6 percent. It is a global giant. It is true that many people there still need support and assistance, but India’s high-tech exports are growing with rapid strides. In short, it is a powerful country that is growing stronger every year under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Or take Brazil in Latin America, with a large population and rapidly growing influence. There is also South Africa. Their global influence should be taken into account, and their weight in decision-making on key international issues must increase. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Certainly, we should do this in such a way so that we achieve a consensus for these changes, so that they would not demolish the existing system of international law. This is a complicated process, but, in my opinion, we need to move precisely in this direction and along this path. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: So, you believe that the current system of international law still exists? Has it not yet been demolished? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: Certainly, it has not been demolished completely. Do you know the gist of the matter? Let us recall the first years of the United Nations. What did they call Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko? They called him Mr Nyet (No) because there were very many contradictions and disagreements, and the Soviet Union exercised its veto right very frequently. However, this was appropriate, and this carried major significance because this approach prevented conflicts. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In our contemporary history, we have often heard Western leaders say that the UN system has become obsolete, and that it does not meet present-day requirements. Such statements really began being voiced during the Yugoslav crisis when the United States and its allies moved to bomb Belgrade without any sanctions on the part of the UN Security Council. They conducted strikes without fear or remorse, and even struck the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Belgrade. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Where in this is international law? They said that there was no such international law because it had become unnecessary and obsolete. Why? Because they wanted to act without having to pay heed to international law. Later, they were dismayed and outraged when Russia started taking certain actions and noted that it was violating international law and the UN Charter. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Unfortunately, there have always been attempts to tailor international law to one’s own needs. Is this good or bad? This is very bad. However, there is at least something that serves as reference point. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">My main concern is that, if all this is completely swept away, then there would not even be any reference points. To my mind, we should move along the road of permanent and gradual changes. However, we should do this unconditionally. The world has changed. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Thank you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Sergei Karaganov. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Sergei Karaganov: Mr President, I am one of the club’s veterans and founders. I can describe my feelings as almost perfect happiness on the day of the club’s 20th anniversary because … To be honest, old people should say that life was better in their time. No, life was not better in our time; it is better, more exciting, more interesting, brighter and more colourful nowadays. So, thank you for taking part, too. Here is my question … </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: When you say “more exciting,” it sounds bold to me. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Sergei Karaganov: It is more exciting when it is more interesting. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: It is more exciting for you, not for me. (Laughter.) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Sergei Karaganov: Mr President, there is one simple question that is currently being actively discussed outside Russia and at the Valdai Club. I will formulate it in the following way, and this is my wording, of course, I do not speak for everyone. Hasn’t our doctrine on using nuclear weapons become obsolete? I believe that it has certainly grown obsolete, and that it even looks frivolous. It was created in different times and, maybe, in a different situation, and it also follows old theories. Deterrence does not work anymore. Is it high time we modify the doctrine on using nuclear weapons, lowering the nuclear threshold and moving steadily and sufficiently quickly along the staircase of escalation, deterrence and bringing our partners down to earth? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">They have become brazen. They are saying that, under our doctrine, we will never use nuclear weapons. Consequently, we unwittingly allow them to escalate and conduct an absolutely monstrous aggression. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This is my first question, and it contains the second one. Even when we somehow win in or around Ukraine, one way or another, in the next few years, the West will continue to experience difficulties: new centres are emerging, and new problems will arise. We have to reinstall the safety catch called nuclear deterrence, which maintained peace for 70 years. Today, the West has forgotten history and fear, and it is trying to eliminate this safety catch. Shouldn’t we change our policy in this sphere? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: I know your position, I have read certain documents, your articles and notes, and I understand your feelings. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me remind you that there are two reasons stipulated in the Russian Military Doctrine for the possible use of nuclear weapons by Russia. The first is the use of nuclear weapons against us, which would entail a so-called retaliatory strike. But what does this mean in practice? The missiles are launched, our early warning system detects them and reports that they are targeting the territory of the Russian Federation –this happens within seconds, just so that everyone understands – and once we know that Russia has been attacked, we respond to this aggression. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I want to assure everyone that as of today, this response will be absolutely unacceptable for any potential aggressor, because seconds after we detect the launch of missiles, wherever they are coming from, from any point in the World Ocean or land, the counter strike in response will involve hundreds – hundreds of our missiles in the air, so that no enemy will have a chance to survive. And [we can respond] in several directions at once. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The second reason for the potential use of these weapons is an existential threat to the Russian state – even if conventional weapons are used against Russia, but the very existence of Russia as a state is threatened. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">These are the two possible reasons for the use of the weapons you mentioned. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Do we need to change this? Why would we? Everything can be changed, but I just don't see that we need to. There is no situation imaginable today where something would threaten Russian statehood and the existence of the Russian state. I do not think anyone in their right mind would consider using nuclear weapons against Russia. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Nevertheless, we do respect your point of view and the views of other experts, people with a patriotic attitude who have empathy for what is happening in and around the country and are concerned about the developments along the line of contact with Ukraine. I understand all this and, take my word for it, we do respect your perspectives. That said, I do not see the need to change our conceptual approaches. The potential adversary knows everything and is aware of what we are capable of. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The fact that I am already hearing calls, for example, to start or in fact to resume nuclear tests is a whole different matter. Here is what I can say in this regard. The United States signed an international instrument, a document – the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and so did Russia. Russia signed and ratified it, while the United States signed the treaty without ratifying it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Our effort to develop new strategic weapons is nearing completion. I have already talked about them and announced their development several years ago. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The latest test launch of Burevestnik was a success. This is a nuclear-powered cruise missile with a basically unlimited range. By and large, Sarmat, the super heavy missile, is also ready. All we have left is to complete all the administrative and bureaucratic procedures and paperwork so that we can move to mass production and deploy it in combat standby mode. We will do this soon. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Specialists tend to argue that these are new kinds of weapons and we need to make sure that their special warheads are fail-free, so we need to test them. I am not ready to tell you right now whether we need or do not need to carry out these tests. What we can do is act just as the United States does. Let me repeat one more time that the United States signed the treaty without ratifying it, while we both signed and ratified it. As a matter of principle, we can offer a tit-for-tat response in our relations with the United States. But this falls within the purview of State Duma MPs. In theory, we can withdraw the ratification, and if we do, this would be enough. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Today, some in the West are openly saying that their commitment to proactively supporting Ukraine resulted from the fact that, when they raised the stakes and escalated the matter over the past year and a half, Russia’s response was not all that convincing. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: I do not know whether it was convincing or not, but at this point and since the start of the so-called counteroffensive – and these are the latest data I am sharing with you – the Ukrainian units lost over 90,000 people, including those who were wounded and lost their lives, as well as 557 tanks, and almost 1,900 armoured vehicles of various types, and all this since June 4 alone. How convincing is that? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We hold our own view of the way things are moving, and know what needs to be done and where, and where we must put in some extra effort. We are calmly advancing towards achieving our goals and I am certain that we will get there by delivering on the objectives we have set for ourselves. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Thank you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Radhika Desai. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Radhika Desai: Thank you very much, President Putin, thank you very much for another really well-informed, and I would say a historically very instructive and thought-provoking talk. So it is, as always, very impressive and a privilege to hear it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I have a question and also a personal appeal. My question is about the country I come from, Canada. As you know, the Canadian parliament has just made itself a laughing stock of the world by applauding a Ukrainian Nazi, a veteran Nazi, in parliament. There were over 440 members of parliament, none of whom asked: is this the right thing to do? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As you know, Prime Minister Trudeau has apologised, I believe, twice. The speaker of Parliament has resigned. And to me, it really shows the extent to which the Western position of which Canada is a kind of leading edge has become so based on hubristic notions, ignorant hubristic notions, that these people have forgotten how much Russia has done for the defeat of Nazism. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">They have forgotten that had it not been for Russian contribution, the Second World War may not have been won, and Russia contributed to that victory with 30 million lives lost. That is a staggering figure that one cannot even imagine. So I wonder if you would please comment on that. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">How do you think about this? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">And then my personal appeal is about something I feel very strongly about. So, first of all, let me just say, please pardon me if I misspeak anything, but it is about the case of a friend of mine and of several other people here, my husband, Demetrius Konstantakopoulos, and that is the case of Boris Kagarlitsky. We believe that, as you may know, he has been detained, and we are very worried about his personal welfare. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">And I just want to say a couple of things about why I am raising this here. There have been plenty of petitions that have been signed in Western countries about this case. We have not signed any of these petitions because we don’t agree with the content of these petitions, which is profoundly anti-Russian. So we have a letter for you, which we hope you will read, and we hope very much that you will see that we have addressed this to you as friends of Russia. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Indeed, we found ourselves also in a bit of a quandary because we do not agree with the position our dear friend has taken. But we also remember how much we have learned from his formidable knowledge of Russia's history and his formidable commitment to Russia. So, we just appeal to you that you take a personal interest in this case. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: You know, to be honest, I do not really know who this Kagarlitsky is – so my colleague here [Fyodor Lukyanov] even had to fill me in on that one. I will take the letter you have signed for me, I will read it and give you a response. I promise. Agreed? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As for your question, God is our witness that we did not arrange for you to ask this question in advance, but I did expect to hear it, to be honest. Moreover, I even brought along some background information on what happened there. For us, this is something that is completely out of the ordinary. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me remind you that the Nazi command established the division where this Ukrainian Nazi served on April 28, 1943. It was during the Nuremberg Trials, not yesterday here among us or in the heat of momentary considerations, that the tribunal designated the Galicia SS Division, where this Ukrainian Nazi served, as a criminal entity responsible for the genocide of Jews, Poles and other civilians. This was the verdict of the international Nuremberg Trials. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me also remind you that independent prosecutors and judges were the ones who delivered this verdict, and the judges had a final say, of course. They did so based on the information they received from prosecutors representing various countries, and designated SS Galicia as a criminal organisation. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I also brought along some notes with the exact words so that my answer is specific and based on hard facts. The Speaker of the Canadian parliament said: “We have here in chamber today, a Ukrainian Canadian veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians. <…> I am very proud to say [that] <…> he is a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero and we thank him for all his service.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">First, if the Speaker of the Canadian parliament talks about this Ukrainian Canadian or Canadian Ukrainian Nazi fighting against the Russians, he must know that he sided with Hitler instead of the speaker’s homeland, Canada, or that he was a Nazi collaborator. In any case, he fought on the side of the Nazi troops. Maybe he does not know that. Make no mistake, I am not trying to hurt the feelings of the Canadian people or offend them in any way. We respect Canada, especially its people, despite all odds. That said, if he does not know that during the war it was Hitler and his accomplices who fought against Russia, he is an idiot. This means that he simply skipped school and lacks basic knowledge. But if he does know that this person fought on Hitler’s side, while calling him a hero of both Ukraine and Canada, this makes him a rascal. So, there are just these two options here. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the sort of people we have to deal with. This is the sort of opponents we have in certain Western countries. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">What is also important, in my opinion? The Speaker of the Canadian Parliament says: he fought against the Russians and [in the document] there is a quote saying that he continues to support Ukrainian troops fighting against the Russians. He essentially equates Hitler’s collaborators, the SS troops, and the Ukrainian combat units today – fighting, as he said, against Russia. He put them on the same board. This only supports our statement that one of our goals in Ukraine is denazification. Apparently, Nazification of Ukraine exists and gets recognition. And our shared goal is to denazify. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">And finally, of course, everybody applauding that Nazi looked absolutely disgusting, especially the fact that the President of Ukraine, who has Jewish blood in him and who is a Jew in terms of his ethnic background, stood up and applauded this man, who is not just a Nazi runt, not just an ideological follower, but somebody who personally killed Jewish people, with his own hands. He personally killed Jews because German Nazis created that SS 1st Galicia Division primarily to eliminate civilians, and the ruling of the Nuremberg trials says so. The division was charged with responsibility for the genocide of Jews and Poles. Almost 150,000 Poles were killed, along with Russians, of course. Nobody even counted how many Roma people were killed as they were not even considered humans. One and a half million Jews were killed in Ukraine – just imagine this figure. Or didn’t it happen? Or don’t they know that? Everybody knows it. Didn’t the Holocaust happen? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">So, when the President of Ukraine applauds a person who personally, with his own hands, killed Jews in Ukraine, does he want to say that the Holocaust never happened? Isn’t it disgusting? Anything goes, as long as these people fought against Russia. All means are fair as long as these means are used to fight against Russia. I can imagine somebody having an overwhelming desire to crush Russia on a battlefield and deliver its strategic defeat. But at this cost? I believe there is nothing more disgusting. And I really hope that not only we here, in this small circle of the Valdai Club, will raise this issue but also civil society organisations and those who care about the future of humankind will formulate their position on this matter clearly, unequivocally and condemn what happened. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Thank you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I saw Gabor Stier somewhere earlier, but I have now lost him. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Gabor Stier: I am Gabor Stier from Hungary. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Mr President, this time I will not ask what will happen to Odessa, although many people in Hungary are asking what the neighbouring country will be called. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: Did you mean Odessa? You asked about it last time. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> Gabor Stier: Yes, I asked this question last time, but now I have another question. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: I am sorry. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Gabor Stier: Mr President, we know that you are interested in history, and this is why I would like to address the current reality from precisely this point of view. Speaking of history, we know that Peter the Great’s decision to open a window onto Europe, or to open the European aspect of Russia’s identity, had great importance for Russia’s development. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, Europe has now fallen into decay, and is doing everything possible for Russia to dislike it. However, as a European, I sometimes feel terrified to hear statements that some European cities should be subjected to nuclear strikes. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">What does Europe mean for Russia today? This is not a question about our problems. What does Europe mean for Russia today? Will Russia turn its back on Europe completely? Don’t you think that it would be a mistake to seal off this window? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">If we are talking about history, I would like to ask one more question. The new Russian history textbooks have given rise to a serious discussion in Hungary. I am talking about passages referring to the 1956 developments as a “colour revolution.” Do you also think that the 1956 developments were not a real revolution? Do you agree with another controversial comment in the textbook that the withdrawal of troops from Central Europe in 1990 and 1991 was a mistake? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> I recall and I know that, in Vladivostok, you said that the deployment of tanks in 1968 and 1956 was a mistake. If it was a mistake, why do you think that the withdrawal of troops was also a mistake? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: Do you think that this is a question? This is more of a reason for writing a thesis. You said that you will not mention Odessa, although you mentioned it. Last time I abstained, but I can say that, of course, Odessa is a Russian city. It is slightly Jewish, as we now say. Slightly. However, let us not discuss this issue, if you are inclined to talk about another one. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">First, this “window onto Europe.” You know, our colleagues just said that the world is changing, getting in and out through a window ripping your pants is not the best choice. Why would anyone want to use the window when there are doors? This is the first point. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Second. There is no doubt that Russia’s civilisational code is based on Christianity, and so is Europe’s. We certainly have this in common. But we are not going to impose ourselves on Europe if Europe does not want us. We are not rejecting them, nor are we slamming [this window] shut. You asked if we regret this. Why would we? It is not us who are slamming the door on communication; it is Europe fencing itself off and creating a new Iron Curtain. We are not the ones creating it, but the Europeans are creating it at the cost of their own losses and to their own detriment. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I have already said this, but I can repeat: the US economy is growing at 2.4 percent, while the European economy is sliding into recession; it is already in recession. Some European figures, who are definitely not amenable or friendly towards our country, have given an accurate diagnosis: Europe’s prosperity was achieved with cheap energy resources from Russia and expansion into the Chinese market. These are the factors of Europe's prosperity. Of course, there was high technology, a hard-working and disciplined working class, talented people – all of this is certainly true. But these were fundamental factors that Europe is rejecting now. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In my opening remarks, I mentioned sovereignty. Here's the thing: sovereignty is a multidimensional concept. Why do we keep saying, and I keep saying that Russia cannot exist as a non-sovereign state? It would simply cease to exist. Because sovereignty is not just about military or other security issues; it is about other components as well. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Do you see what happened to Europe? Many European leaders – I hope they do not accuse me of bad-mouthing or mud-throwing – many Europeans say that Europe has lost its sovereignty. For example, in Germany, Europe's economic locomotive, leading politicians have repeatedly stressed that Germany has not been a sovereign state in the full sense of the word since 1945. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">What implications does this have, including in economic terms? The United States – I think, I have no doubt that it was the United States that provoked the Ukraine crisis by supporting the coup in Ukraine in 2014. They could not fail to understand that this was a red line, we have said this a thousand times. They never listened. Now we have today's situation. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">And I suspect this was not accidental. They needed that conflict. As a result, Europe, which had lost part of its sovereignty – not all of it, but a considerable part – had to form a tailback behind their sovereign and follow its policies by transitioning to a policy of sanctions and restrictions against Russia. Europe had to do it, knowing that this was going to harm it, and now all energy, much of the energy, is bought from the United States at a price that is 30 percent higher. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">They have imposed restrictions on Russian oil. What is the result? This is not as obvious as with gas, but the result is the same. They have reduced the number of suppliers and begun buying more expensive oil from this limited group of suppliers, while we sell our oil to other countries at a discount. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Do you understand what has resulted from this? The competitiveness of the European economy has plummeted, while that of their chief rival in terms of the economic component – the United States – has surged, as has the competitiveness of other countries, including those in Asia. So, following the loss of part of their sovereignty, they had to take, of their own will, those self-defeating decisions. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Do we need a partner of this sort? Of course, it is not absolutely useless. But I want you to take note of the fact that we are leaving the waning European market and boosting our presence on the growing markets in other parts of the world, including in Asia. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">At the same time, we are linked with Europe by numerous centuries-old ties in culture, education, etc. To reiterate: all of this is based on the Christian culture. But in this regard, the Europeans are not making us happy either. They are destroying their roots that grow from the Christian culture; they are pulling those roots out without mercy. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Therefore, we are not going to shut anything – either windows, or doors – but neither are we going to force our way to Europe, if Europe does not want this. If it wants to – all right, we will work together. I think one could talk ad infinitum, but I think I have outlined the main points. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Now regarding the textbook and the colour revolutions, the year 1956. I will not hide that I did not read that part of the textbook. And regarding the withdrawal of troops, of course, these are also historical facts, and back then, in 1956, many Western countries stirred up existing problems, including the mistakes of the then Hungarian leadership, and militants were trained abroad and sent to Hungary. But I think it is still difficult to call this a colour revolution in its pure form, because after all there was an internal foundation for serious protest within the country. I think this is an obvious thing. And then, there is hardly any need to transfer today’s terms to the middle of the last century. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As for the withdrawal of troops, I am deeply convinced that there is no point in using troops to suppress internal tendencies in some country or among the people to achieve the goals they consider to be their priorities. This goes for European countries, including Eastern European ones. There was no point in keeping troops there if the people of these countries did not want to see them on their territory. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">But the way and under what conditions this happened raises, of course, many questions. Our troops withdrew straight into an open field. How many people know about this? In an open field, with families. Is this acceptable? At the same time, no obligations, no legal consequences for the withdrawal of these troops were formulated, neither by Soviet nor Russian leadership. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Our Western partners did not undertake any obligations at all. At least we returned to the issue of NATO expansion or non-expansion to the east. Yes, we were promised everything verbally, and our American partners do not deny this, and then they ask: where is this documented? There is no document. And that was it, goodbye. Did we promise? It looks like we did, but it was worth nothing. We know that even a written document is worth nothing to them. They are ready to throw away any paper. But at least something would be recorded on paper and something could be agreed upon during the withdrawal of troops. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Something like coordinating issues of ensuring security in Europe or achieving some kind of new design in Europe. After all, the German Social Democracy and Mr Egon Bahr, had proposals ready, as I have already said once, to create a new security system in Europe, which would include Russia, and the United States, and Canada; but not NATO, but together with everyone else: for Eastern and Central Europe. I think this would solve many of today’s problems. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">And back then he said, he was a smart old man, he definitely said: otherwise, you will see that all this will be repeated, only this time closer to Russia. He was a German politician, and an experienced, competent, and intelligent person. Nobody listened to him: not Soviet leadership; much less in the West and the United States. Now we are witnessing what he was talking about. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As for the withdrawal of troops, it was pointless to hold on. But the conditions for the withdrawal, this was what we had to talk about, achieving the creation of a situation that, perhaps, would not lead to today’s tragedies and today’s crisis. Perhaps that’s all. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Have I answered your question? If I forgot something, please. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fyodor Lukyanov: Thank you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Since we started talking about Germany, Stefan Huth, please take the floor. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Stefan Huth: My name is Stefan Huth. I am from Germany, from the newspaper Junge Welt. I would like to connect to what you just said. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The special military operation in Ukraine is often justified with anti-fascist motives. You said: We have to free the Ukrainian people from the Nazis, we have to drive them out, we have to liberate the country. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Against this background, it must seem somewhat confusing that you on a high governmental level, are in contact with such right-wing parties as the Rassemblement National [National Rally] or the AfD – Alternative for Germany – parties which are deeply rooted in a racist environment. They do not have any sympathy for the Russian people, one can assume. They do not have any sympathy for Russia as being a multi-ethnic people, which you just stressed in your speech. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to know, what do you hope for? What does your Government hope for from such contacts, and what are the criteria for having contacts with parties like that? Can you understand that anti-fascists in Western Europe see this as a contradiction to your politics? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: Excuse me, please, I would ask you to be more specific: what do you mean when talking about fascist forces and pro-fascist parties, about their attitude towards Russia and so on? Please be direct and specific, otherwise we will speak in undertones, but it is best that we speak directly. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Stefan Huth: The head of the AfD Tino Chrupalla had a contact, an official meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in 2020. This was a sort of an official meeting. Part of AfD, Björn Höcke for instance, is deeply rooted in the fascist movement in Germany. He went to demonstrations with Nazis. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">So this is really confusing to anti-fascists in Germany. It is a contradiction to your policy. We sort of recognise that, at least partly. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: What do you see and what can you provide to confirm what you said, that their activities are based on some kind of fascist, pro-fascist national socialist ideas? Can you tell me specifically what exactly is this about? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Stefan Huth: Björn Höcke, for example, he is linked up with fascists. He demonstrates in Dresden regularly during the anniversary of the Allied bombing, together with fascists, and he is linked up with them. This is one of the reasons why Germany’s interior secret service observes this party, saying they are right-wing. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin: I see. Look, you started with Ukraine and asked me whether it is fair that we publicly declare that we are striving for the denazification of the Ukrainian political system. But we just discussed the situation in the Canadian parliament, when the President of Ukraine stood and applauded a Nazi who killed Jews, Russians, and Poles. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Does not this show that we rightfully call Ukraine’s current system a pro-Nazi one? The leader of the state stands and applauds a Nazi, not just an ideological follower of Nazism, but a real Nazi, a former SS soldier. Is this not a sign of the Nazification of Ukraine? Does not this give us the right to talk about its denazification? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">But you may answer: yes, this is the head of state, but this is not the whole country. And I would reply: you spoke about those who go to rallies together with pro-fascists. Is this the whole party that comes to these rallies? Probably not. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We certainly condemn everything pro-fascist, pro-Nazi. We support everything that has no such signs, but on the contrary, that is aimed at establishing contacts. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As far as I know, an assassination attempt was made on one of the leaders of the Alternative for Germany, recently, during the election campaign. What does this point to? That representatives of this party either use Nazi methods or these Nazi methods are used against them? This is a question for a painstaking researcher, including in your person and in the person of the general public of the Federal Republic itself. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As for the anti-fascist forces, we have always been with them, we know their attitude towards Russia. We are grateful to them for this attitude and certainly support it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I think that everything that is aimed at reviving, at maintaining relations between us, should be supported, and this can be the light at the end of the tunnel of our current relations. </span><br /><br /><br /><b><i>(To Be Continued)</i></b><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> </div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-50467780035435550042023-09-26T19:09:00.000-04:002023-09-26T19:09:01.366-04:00The Canadian Govt. Supports Fascist Ukraine and their War Criminals<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig92N9U7qJaeA-cR0qmzhyaYiF1Lxyebn3TBrR_6v_2pWxDUBVDj4hlq7OjtTuhnNdbgoVafKsJkBVooxXL30rLp4wakmPz8er_35PXporZ5JZr_QG8veKpaKfF2RpGrrrD4Q1mcpi0nbeXpda-hToc_LiwM9SExlHqqF6T932FCWOoFmoUjoBCqQ0NPU/s1920/Canadian%20Parliament%20Supports%20Ukrainian%20War%20Criminals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig92N9U7qJaeA-cR0qmzhyaYiF1Lxyebn3TBrR_6v_2pWxDUBVDj4hlq7OjtTuhnNdbgoVafKsJkBVooxXL30rLp4wakmPz8er_35PXporZ5JZr_QG8veKpaKfF2RpGrrrD4Q1mcpi0nbeXpda-hToc_LiwM9SExlHqqF6T932FCWOoFmoUjoBCqQ0NPU/w640-h360/Canadian%20Parliament%20Supports%20Ukrainian%20War%20Criminals.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>By: Stewart Brennan</i></b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Last Friday, September 22nd, 2023, the Canadian House of Commons gave a standing ovation to 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, a former member of the 14th Waffen Grenadier division of the SS, which was responsible for countless war crimes during the second half of World War II. The commemoration took place during a visit to the Canadian House of Commons by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claims he didn't know Yaroslav Hunka and yet he met with the 98-year-old WWII Waffen SS soldier before he was introduced in the House of Commons... A Ukrainian Nazi unit that is known to have committed atrocities against Jews and Poles during its campaign on the Eastern Front. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Do you mean to tell me that Canada has no clue about who they invite into the house of commons? Of course they do! Chrystia Freeland's Ukrainian grandfather was a Ukrainian NAZI and we know this for a fact. The politicians all know it for a fact. Unless of course they’re all deaf dumb and blind? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">There's no excuse! Trudeau, Freeland and the leaders of the opposition should ALL resign!! They're ALL lying that they didn't know. They brought Hunka in to show Zelensky that they support monsters like him. That was the whole point of Hunka being invited to the Parliament in the first place. To show Zelensky that they support him and Ukrainian Nazi’s. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In fact, the Canadian government's (past and present - Harper and Trudeau) have been supporting the fascist regime in Ukraine since the violent coup in 2014. Our government and politicians are a willing party to the war crimes committed by the current Zelenski regime! They know who Zelenski is and the monsters around him. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Have we not heard how the Canadian government (ALL POLITICIANS!) supports Ukraine at whatever the cost? "Slava Ukraine" they say and yet what it actually means is "Heil Hitler". Ever since the Harper government backed the 2014 violent coup in Ukraine, that started the Ukraine civil war, every single Canadian politician has jumped on board and pushed the destruction of Ukraine by supporting the violent elements within it. The war has spread and drawn Russia into its midst by western escalation and military support. Ukraine is Russia’s back yard. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The escalating war on the Russian speaking Ukrainians by the fascist regime in Ukraine, backed by the American, European and Canadian governments is what pulled Russia into the conflict. The war is a proxy against Russia by the western NATO coalition. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Russia and Ukraine share a common history and evolution. They are the same people and yet Canada supported the violent coup in Ukraine which was pushed by the American government. The Neo-conservatives started it and the Neo Liberals have escalated it. They work together and so should share the blame equally. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The neo-liberal / neo-conservative hate-based ideology propagated in the United States and Canada against Russia, the Russian people, their culture, religious belief and traditional values, is exactly the same hate twisted ideology practiced by the Nazi’s, and that’s a fact! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">My father was a WWII vet. and I assure you that he’s rolling in his grave right now. He did not go through hell so that the Canadian govt should celebrate World War II Nazi's!! OR Current day Nazi’s in Ukraine!! Trudeau! RESIGN NOW!!! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">#TrudeauResign #ChrystiaFreelandResign #CanadianElection2023 </span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Related: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/583596-new-details-canada-honoring-nazi/" target="_blank">New details emerge from Canada's honoring of Ukrainian Nazi veteran </a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/583518-canada-celebrates-nazi-veteran/" target="_blank">‘Slava Ukraini’? How Canada feted a WW2 Nazi veteran and unleashed an international scandal</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/583544-canada-nazi-ukraine-applause/" target="_blank">Canada saluting a Ukrainian Nazi was no accident – Eva Bartlett</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/583597-russia-canada-nazi/" target="_blank">Moscow reacts to Canada honoring Nazi veteran</a></span><br /></b><b><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"></span></b><div><br /></div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-72890830013995143322023-07-23T20:56:00.001-04:002023-07-23T21:14:39.819-04:00Twenty-Two years of Corporate Crimes Against Humanity<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJPzwCnj80S3X-xTE_MTGCLv92-tbikfTChYE8lcXraql8-bRTGE20wCYklw_EBVHQN_bJpmr1QK8rhABiv8pGouv8lU5peazfHAPThWZxDJfll9kxLw3dbghNDCKME9dohO2lmLwUq4ApmILgF4TJ04OFIjHomu9w7tJcdV8SlZkU07XwoWrNY4t9pQ/s1920/20230723%20-%20Twenty%20Two%20years%20of%20Corporate%20Crimes%20Against%20Humanity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJPzwCnj80S3X-xTE_MTGCLv92-tbikfTChYE8lcXraql8-bRTGE20wCYklw_EBVHQN_bJpmr1QK8rhABiv8pGouv8lU5peazfHAPThWZxDJfll9kxLw3dbghNDCKME9dohO2lmLwUq4ApmILgF4TJ04OFIjHomu9w7tJcdV8SlZkU07XwoWrNY4t9pQ/w640-h360/20230723%20-%20Twenty%20Two%20years%20of%20Corporate%20Crimes%20Against%20Humanity.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><b><span style="font-size: large;">2001 to 2023 </span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Every insane move that the US government has made over the past 22 years; the war on Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, the exponential expansion of their military bases around the world (800 ++) their sanction wars on Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Russia, and every nation that dared to defy US dictates has all stemmed from the 911 lie called for by the Project for a New American Century (PNAC) <br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The official story or 'narrative' that they've stuck to regarding 911 is so full of holes that they've rendered science (physics, math, and chemistry) a joke. Also, the war that the corporate government has waged on anyone that's challenged the shoddy US governments narrative, from a solid professional perspective, continues as they’ve either been fired, censored, silenced, ruined or all of the above.</span></div></div><div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="352" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZHVWqBoWhQM" width="481" youtube-src-id="ZHVWqBoWhQM"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The global police state that emerged as a result of 911 has crept forward ever since and led to the totalitarian fascist world we’ve all experienced since their 2020 global scamdemic. Now, today in 2023, the US military is in charge of the response for future plandemics; a future war they will roll out on the global population down the road as the US banking corporatocracy falls further and further into bankruptcy. <br /><br />Today, if anyone dares challenge any of the insane government narratives being shoved down our throats, they are declared an enemy of the state...it doesn’t take much imagination to see where this is going to go. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="355" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_GPs7Hqe_G4" width="482" youtube-src-id="_GPs7Hqe_G4"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The US power structure is not only out of control, it has metastasized into a corporate fascist entity with its roots and tentacles in every puppet nation under its banking influence and or in its NATO dictatorship. Their future vision is war, disease, poverty, famine and a fascist police state. <br /><br />Did you not see and hear their evil intent with your own eyes and ears over the past three years of their fake pandemic? I’ve seen it since 911 and its time everyone else did too! Now is the time for the American people and indeed the people across the world in the know, to stand up and show your neighbors what has truly been going on. Wake the sleepers! </span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Revolution: An Instruction Manual</span></b></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="353" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8Zq4f6WYmHU" width="483" youtube-src-id="8Zq4f6WYmHU"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-59410258642417653282023-07-22T06:14:00.000-04:002023-07-22T06:14:15.459-04:00US Govt Puts Military in Charge of Pandemic Response <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPw07GNJtCvisBpljupaLGTG5tO1jGfC5_pCjK2l2NobYX42O3BpWGwyC8NcSqWVWgzk_3IDeAF3ct_4zUzaKx7fftfKMyeiNMy7a7oMNOt9-pMXYg6J4oOP0UD8UdlOCxT9MY6lkmPsuwy4ZsNtjkwAR5surIDkvSP_OKtJRgA_JmdHIVmcFNKZVh_o/s1920/20230722%20-%20US%20Militaristic%20Pandemic%20Agency%2001a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPw07GNJtCvisBpljupaLGTG5tO1jGfC5_pCjK2l2NobYX42O3BpWGwyC8NcSqWVWgzk_3IDeAF3ct_4zUzaKx7fftfKMyeiNMy7a7oMNOt9-pMXYg6J4oOP0UD8UdlOCxT9MY6lkmPsuwy4ZsNtjkwAR5surIDkvSP_OKtJRgA_JmdHIVmcFNKZVh_o/w640-h360/20230722%20-%20US%20Militaristic%20Pandemic%20Agency%2001a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Creating and putting the military in charge of a “Pandemic Agency” is clearly an escalation towards war on the population. Let’s be clear here, the “Military” is used for deadly means not for health reasons. Not only are the citizens of the United States in jeopardy but the entire world population is at risk in this next chapter of insanity by this sinister “Military Pharmaceutical Industrial Pandemic Complex” that has risen in the USA. It is a dark day indeed for everyone in the world and now up to the American people to SHUT THIS PROGRAM DOWN along with ALL its bio-weapons labs throughout the occupied western nations! <br /><br />Destroy this Military Pharmaceutical Industrial Pandemic Complex program before its too late!<br /><br />~ Stewart Brennan ~</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">--------------------------<br /></span><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9ok_6R0-tIhMAQGG5YbS7dCBEn2xqOgNjZkqRCuoKOXwqy00H06OAbwzbB0vuVUJXeN0rPyikDGluHT4dU2Fow6poAOzgtyY0oHv2tgK6yBpwsQ-pz4H8gso_OIHbq-M5k5lLgbW1zGVxflySV0rRuIuevFzALYdy16YhPd39Oi83OToVMCrAosg6CA/s768/20230722%20-%20US%20Militaristic%20Pandemic%20Agency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9ok_6R0-tIhMAQGG5YbS7dCBEn2xqOgNjZkqRCuoKOXwqy00H06OAbwzbB0vuVUJXeN0rPyikDGluHT4dU2Fow6poAOzgtyY0oHv2tgK6yBpwsQ-pz4H8gso_OIHbq-M5k5lLgbW1zGVxflySV0rRuIuevFzALYdy16YhPd39Oi83OToVMCrAosg6CA/w640-h360/20230722%20-%20US%20Militaristic%20Pandemic%20Agency.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">FILE PHOTO © AP / Alex Brandon</b></div><p></p><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>US Creates Permanent Pandemic Agency</b></div></span><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Source:
<a href="https://www.rt.com/news/580099-us-permanent-pandemic-office/" target="_blank">RT</a></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
office will take over the duties of the White House Covid-19 response team</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The
US government has launched a new agency to prepare for pandemics and other
“biological threats,” with President Joe Biden tapping </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">a retired Air Force
general</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> to spearhead the project.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
White House announced the creation of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and
Response Policy (OPPR) on Friday. The agency will be tasked with devising a
response to public health crises, coordinating scientific research and medical
efforts against pandemics, and providing regular reports to Congress.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“This
will be a permanent office in the Executive Office of the President charged
with leading, coordinating, and implementing actions related to preparedness
for, and response to, known and unknown biological threats or pathogens,” the
White House said in a press release.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
new office will be headed up by Retired Air Force Major General Paul
Friedrichs, who currently serves as a special assistant to President Joe Biden
and the Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense at the White
House National Security Council. Friedrichs previously worked as a joint staff
surgeon at the Pentagon, where he also advised the military’s Covid-19 task
force.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
OPPR will formally come into existence on August 7, after which Friedrichs will
begin assembling a team. His responsibilities will include ensuring the
Strategic National Stockpile is well-equipped with medical supplies, and
working with Congress to procure funding for US preparedness efforts, according
to the New York Times.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In
addition to crafting a government response to future pandemics, the agency will
confer with industry, the scientific community and the Department of Health and
Human Services to develop the “next generation of medical countermeasures,”
including vaccines. Its work will focus on Covid-19, monkeypox, polio, avian
and human influenza, and RSV, among other pathogens.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Taking
over the role of the White House’s Covid-19 response team, which was shuttered
in May, the office was created under a sweeping government spending package
enacted in late 2022. It will be required to submit a “preparedness review” to
lawmakers every two years, and a separate “outlook report” every five years.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;">--------------------------------------------------------------- </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/07/21/fact-sheet-white-house-launches-office-of-pandemic-preparedness-and-response-policy/" target="_blank">Press Release from US Government – (20230721)</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Major
General (ret) Paul Friedrichs Will Serve as the Inaugural Director</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
Biden-Harris Administration has made historic progress on our nation’s ability
to manage COVID-19 so that it no longer meaningfully disrupts the way we live
our lives. Under President Biden’s leadership, the Administration has taken
significant steps to ensure all individuals have continued access to lifesaving
protections such as vaccines, treatments, and tests, and that the nation is
well prepared to manage the risks of COVID-19 or other causes of potential
pandemics in the future.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As
part of the President’s commitment to ensure that our country is more prepared
for a pandemic than we were when he took office, the Administration is standing
up the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR). This will be
a permanent office in the Executive Office of the President (EOP) charged with
leading, coordinating, and implementing actions related to preparedness for,
and response to, known and unknown biological threats or pathogens that could
lead to a pandemic or to significant public health-related disruptions in the
United States. OPPR will take over the duties of the current COVID-19 Response
Team and Mpox Team at the White House and will continue to coordinate and
develop policies and priorities related to pandemic preparedness and response.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">To
lead this work, the President announced that Major General (ret) Paul
Friedrichs will serve as the inaugural Director of OPPR and Principal Advisor
on Pandemic Preparedness and Response as of August 7, 2023. Maj. Gen. (ret)
Friedrichs’ unparalleled experience makes him the right person to lead this
office. He is currently Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director
for Global Health Security and Biodefense at the National Security Council
(NSC). Maj. Gen. (ret) Friedrichs previously served as Joint Staff Surgeon at
the Pentagon, where he coordinated all issues related to health services,
provided medical advice to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and served
as medical adviser to the Department of Defense (DoD) Covid-19 Task Force.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The
Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy will:</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Coordinate
the Administration’s domestic response to public health threats that have
pandemic potential, or may cause significant disruption, and strengthen
domestic pandemic preparedness. This includes ongoing work to address potential
public health outbreaks and threats from COVID-19, Mpox, polio, avian and human
influenza, and RSV.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Drive
and coordinate federal science and technology efforts related to pandemic
preparedness. Specifically, OPPR will oversee efforts to develop, manufacture,
and procure the next generation of medical countermeasures, including
leveraging emerging technologies and working with HHS on next generation
vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 and other public health threats. During
the height of the pandemic, the Biden-Harris Administration made historic
investments in COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments that were made widely
available. OPPR will continue to leverage these investments as it drives future
progress in combatting COVID-19 and other public health threats.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Develop
and provide periodic reports to Congress. As required by statute, OPPR will
develop and provide to Congress a biennial Preparedness Review and Report and
Preparedness Outlook Report every five years.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Major
General (ret) Paul Friedrichs, Inaugural Director of OPPR and Principal Advisor
on Pandemic Preparedness and Response</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Major
General Friedrichs is currently Special Assistant to the President and Senior
Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense at the National Security
Council (NSC). Prior to joining the NSC, Dr. Friedrichs most recently served as
the Joint Staff Surgeon and the medical advisor to the Department of Defense
(DoD) COVID-19 Task Force. Throughout his career he has worked closely with
Federal, State, Tribal, local, and territorial government partners, as well as
industry and academic counterparts and has been active in multiple professional
medical societies. Dr. Friedrichs has also overseen the DoD global patient
evacuation system, supporting global medical care and numerous interagency
domestic and global disaster responses. He led the DoD Task Force which
developed plans to implement high reliability medical principles across DoD and
stood up the Air Force’s first medical analytics capabilities. Over the course
of his 37-year career, he has led military hospitals and regional and global
health care systems, published multiple medical papers, and consistently sought
opportunities to partner with colleagues to improve health care delivery and
preparedness. As the United States’ representative to the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization Committee of Military Medical Chiefs, he worked closely with many
of America’s closest allies and partners throughout the pandemic and in
developing medical support to the Ukrainian military.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Dr?... General Friedrichs...</span></span></p><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1GzuOCqBq2UiW2eM-7ePbRmM7YrFYe36V_wqIkWLdo5lYOlE0_65ZzjT8ljFRP9ODGDSlq0Rtuf8TzZt5wHg9pj_QZFoMIO0Uy9nUioR9wclDaxnIxp8dFKko0dJQfTexVGvawzUgGBvoMTRqOsKBKqRvrGbVnmZAsHf-HfeXYbDl1iHSNu6NB7i_XE/s1920/20230722%20-%20US%20Militaristic%20Pandemic%20Agency%2001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1GzuOCqBq2UiW2eM-7ePbRmM7YrFYe36V_wqIkWLdo5lYOlE0_65ZzjT8ljFRP9ODGDSlq0Rtuf8TzZt5wHg9pj_QZFoMIO0Uy9nUioR9wclDaxnIxp8dFKko0dJQfTexVGvawzUgGBvoMTRqOsKBKqRvrGbVnmZAsHf-HfeXYbDl1iHSNu6NB7i_XE/w640-h360/20230722%20-%20US%20Militaristic%20Pandemic%20Agency%2001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-350622492407736752023-06-11T20:43:00.002-04:002023-06-11T21:00:20.297-04:00Visual display of poverty and immigration<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="330" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZDceLiPLHWQ" width="480" youtube-src-id="ZDceLiPLHWQ"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i>(The Video is from 2010)</i></b></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Mass immigration is currently destroying western economic and social structures in 2023. <br /><br />Pre COVID (2012 – 2019) and now post COVID (2022 – 2023), our western leaders have been bringing in millions of immigrants into our western nations. Western nations which are drowning in debt and collapsing economically due to economic contraction, high inflation and energy costs. Housing is not affordable for the people of our nations. Food prices have inflated 150% energy costs are soaring and everywhere we are seeing poverty encroach. Our social programs have become targets for reduction while our governments bring more people in and put them on our social programs which our countries feed through government budgets with borrowed money from private banks that puts us in greater debt. Our social programs were not made for the huge influx of immigrants especially when our countries are in economic decline. The massive poverty in our nations should be addressed first. The immigration must stop! <br /><br />To stop mass immigration into western countries, western governments need to stop vassalizing those weaker countries into systemic poverty through their program of total submission to western corporate, political, economic and military tyranny...let those countries evolve on their own and let them sort out their own problems. There will not be a need for immigration if nations of people were allowed their own freedom to exist and evolve. <br /><br />In truth, America and its western NATO vassals have been the destroyer of worlds, not the saviors of them. We, the people of the western nations need to stand up, take control of our nations and stop the reckless, out of control destruction of other nations around the world by our governments, including our own countries. <br /><br />Corporate greed continues to be the major driver of poverty around the world and at home due to western banking greed and the exponential nature of corporate growth requirements with their shareholder payouts. It’s time to put an end to it. <br /><br />It is also important for over populated countries to get a handle on their own problems as they become more independent. Stability is what we should all be after. <br /><br />~ Stewart ~</span>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-14591712033619334262023-03-15T06:07:00.000-04:002023-03-15T06:07:07.070-04:00Saudi Arabia threatens oil embargo in event of price cap<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYdgRP7W-vzK4cYSXETcsG9_seU3Szj5XYFL5NKvgLg5DVNARAnnoWoL4kVkv1lpd2bx8nxemHmuKDW1HfrX1aIFXWjQ9U2AfM0xAgLt0wpg_VfgwI8IgcQSo95hLN1zRSIKh_AbPVLKMUSrIOc26brJrI_sCvEdikT2H0b1cvbZqZSoBFfleBYwa/s768/20230315%20-%20Saudi%20Arabia%20threatens%20oil%20embargo%20in%20event%20of%20price%20cap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYdgRP7W-vzK4cYSXETcsG9_seU3Szj5XYFL5NKvgLg5DVNARAnnoWoL4kVkv1lpd2bx8nxemHmuKDW1HfrX1aIFXWjQ9U2AfM0xAgLt0wpg_VfgwI8IgcQSo95hLN1zRSIKh_AbPVLKMUSrIOc26brJrI_sCvEdikT2H0b1cvbZqZSoBFfleBYwa/w640-h360/20230315%20-%20Saudi%20Arabia%20threatens%20oil%20embargo%20in%20event%20of%20price%20cap.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman al-Saud at the Future Sustainability Summit at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, January 14, 2020. © AFP / Karim Sahib <br /><br /><b>Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/572992-saudi-arabia-oil-price-cap/" target="_blank">RT</a></b><br /><br />Western policies in relation to Russian crude risk major uncertainties when clarity is most needed, the Saudi oil minister says <br /><br />Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has warned Western states against capping the price of crude oil supplied by the kingdom, adding that any attempts to impose a ceiling would be met with a halt of sales and production cuts. <br /><br />He added that other major oil producers would most likely follow suit. <br /><br />“So, if a price cap were to be imposed on Saudi oil exports, we will not sell oil to any country that imposes a price cap on our supply, and we will reduce oil production, and I would not be surprised if others do the same,” bin Salman said in an interview with Energy Intelligence on Tuesday. <br /><br />According to the minister, price-cap policies inevitably exacerbate market instability and volatility, and would negatively impact the entire oil industry across the globe. <br /><br />He compared the oil-price cap with the US proposal to adopt the so-called NOPEC legislation, stressing that the potential impact of such measures on the oil market are similar. NOPEC (No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act) would allow OPEC and national oil companies to be sued under US antitrust law for anti-competitive attempts to limit global supply of oil and the subsequent impact on crude prices. <br /><br />In December, the EU, G7 nations, and their allies introduced a collective ban on Russian seaborne oil exports, along with a price cap of $60 per barrel. Another embargo banning almost all imports of Russian oil products, as well as introducing price caps on diesel and other petroleum products, kicked in on February 5. <br /><br />Moscow has opposed any attempts to cap the price of its energy exports. The Russian authorities have forbidden any oil deals under the price-cap scheme. In February, Russia announced plans to voluntarily reduce oil production in March by 500,000 barrels per day as it halts sales to buyers that comply with a Western-imposed price ceiling. <br /><br />According to the Saudi oil minister, the policies pursued by the West add “new layers of risk and uncertainty” to the global oil market “at a time when clarity and stability are most needed.”</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-14396720133973675982023-03-10T17:49:00.000-05:002023-03-10T17:49:52.366-05:00Iran, Saudi Arabia Restore Diplomatic Relations<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJs2YKmtI-dOx4u3eI9pcQ60wFvqqQi4sqfjkd8pMHwfxwBlQh7g0oMVEFE8o298mqzQaeBT3vDyMDhBJ6XNrA60u6PDLmnZf5HdOrP0SAKdy_gxYYj1zKkBk8JB7uIl-hSpVXZ_ruojh4bWeyCiY4yEduSN9m-B3ICkrLikJNEB_myQG2uML78QG/s1000/20230310%20-%20Iran%20Saudi%20Arabia%20Reach%20Deal%2001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJs2YKmtI-dOx4u3eI9pcQ60wFvqqQi4sqfjkd8pMHwfxwBlQh7g0oMVEFE8o298mqzQaeBT3vDyMDhBJ6XNrA60u6PDLmnZf5HdOrP0SAKdy_gxYYj1zKkBk8JB7uIl-hSpVXZ_ruojh4bWeyCiY4yEduSN9m-B3ICkrLikJNEB_myQG2uML78QG/w640-h360/20230310%20-%20Iran%20Saudi%20Arabia%20Reach%20Deal%2001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i>(Photo by Reuters)</i></b></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/03/10/699626/Iran-Saudi-Arabia-China-Beijing-ties-SNSN-Shamkhani-" target="_blank">Press TV</a><br /></b><br />Iran and Saudi Arabia have reached an agreement in the Chinese capital of Beijing to restore their diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions, seven years after their ties were broken off over several issues. <br /><br />The agreement was struck on Friday after several days of intensive negotiations between Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani and his Saudi counterpart in Beijing. It was officially announced in a joint statement by Iran, Saudi Arabia and China.<br /><br />The statement was inked by Shakhani, Musaid Al Aiban, Saudi Arabia’s national security adviser, and Wang Yi, the director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party. <br /><br />Shamkhani has been involved in intensive talks with his Saudi counterpart in Beijing since Monday to find a final solution to the issues between Tehran and Riyadh. The negotiations followed a meeting between Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing last month. <br /><br />“As a result of the talks, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia agreed to resume diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions within two months,” the joint statement said. <br /><br />It added that the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers will meet to “implement this decision and make the necessary arrangements for the exchange of ambassadors.” <br /><br />According to the statement, Iran and Saudi Arabia highlighted the need to respect each others’ national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of one another. They agreed to implement a security cooperation agreement signed in April 2001 and another accord reached in May 1998 to boost economic, commercial, investment, technical, scientific, cultural, sports and youth affairs cooperation. <br /><br />Iran, Saudi Arabia and China expressed their firm determination to make their utmost efforts to promote regional and international peace and security, it emphasized. <br /><br />The statement further explained that delegations from Iran and Saudi Arabia, led by Shamkhani and Aiban, held several meetings over the past five days following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s support for the expansion of ties between Tehran and Riyadh based on the principle of good neighborliness and his efforts to host meetings between Iranian and Saudi senior officials. <br /><br />The talks between Shamkhani and Aiban were also held as a result of the keenness of Tehran and Riyadh to resolve differences through dialogue and diplomacy based on fraternal ties and both sides’ adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Charter and international rules and principles, it added. <br /><br />Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters, enraged by the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi government, stormed its embassy in Tehran. <br /><br />The two sides had held five rounds of negotiations in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad since April 2021. <br /><br />In their joint statement, Iran and Saudi Arabia also thanked Iraq and Oman for hosting the talks between the two sides in 2021 and 2022 as well as the leaders and government of the People’s Republic of China for hosting and supporting the talks held in that country. <br /><br />In phone call, Shamkhani thanks Iraq for hosting talks <br /><br />Prior to the official announcement about the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Shamkhani held a phone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. <br /><br />The Iranian top security official hailed great efforts by Iraq to host five rounds of talks between Tehran and Riyadh. <br /><br />He also commended Baghdad’s “very valuable” bids to prepare the ground for the new agreement between Tehran and Riyadh. <br /><br />Speaking after signing the agreement, Shamkhani said the negotiations between the two countries were “frank, transparent, comprehensive.” <br /><br />“Clearing up the misunderstandings and looking to the future in Tehran-Riyadh relations will definitely lead to the development of regional stability and security and the increase of cooperation between the countries of the Persian Gulf and the Islamic world to manage the existing challenges,” he said.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-size: large;">The Duran: HUGE News and What it Could Mean</b></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">China brokered deal, Iran & Saudi Arabia restore diplomatic ties</span></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="363" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JgpzgrPYPhw" width="481" youtube-src-id="JgpzgrPYPhw"></iframe></div><br /><div style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Related Links:</span></b></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/03/10/699644/Nasrallah-Tehran-Riyadh-deal-can-open-new-horizons-region" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nasrallah: Tehran-Riyadh rapprochement can open up new horizons in region</span></a></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><a href="https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/03/10/699641/world-welcomes-iran-saudi-rapprochment" target="_blank">World welcomes Iran-Saudi detent as Israel feels ‘fatal blow’</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/03/08/699508/Iran-ready-continue-fence-mending-talks-Saudi-Arabia-strike-deal" target="_blank">Iran says ready to continue fence-mending talks with Saudi Arabia, strike deal</a></span><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /></b><br /><p></p>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-3141309621999679762023-02-25T09:43:00.000-05:002023-02-25T09:43:58.855-05:00Vladimir Putin’s Address to the Russian Federation - (Full Text)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9K07xLe7w7CMd-m1Djlj5f_P427CP-JJfkL9tbx4CiEWi6U-h1zjyKpBp9H2cMm7-Ii6YcuSHflmKP29Ozq8UpNj6aVihcLpgJQir_DvnYjZBqliVS02HpnKeRB_jGkye4RbBcfesqLTFcbkI6Cd40-jHma2QAfkA1no_Nqry1D3CJefk2MHZbYGS/s1880/20230221%20-%20Vladimir%20Putin%20Address%20to%20Federal%20Assembly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="1880" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9K07xLe7w7CMd-m1Djlj5f_P427CP-JJfkL9tbx4CiEWi6U-h1zjyKpBp9H2cMm7-Ii6YcuSHflmKP29Ozq8UpNj6aVihcLpgJQir_DvnYjZBqliVS02HpnKeRB_jGkye4RbBcfesqLTFcbkI6Cd40-jHma2QAfkA1no_Nqry1D3CJefk2MHZbYGS/w640-h394/20230221%20-%20Vladimir%20Putin%20Address%20to%20Federal%20Assembly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Vladimir Putin (Feb 21st, 2023)</i></b></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Full Text of Vladimir Putin’s Address to the Russian Federal Assembly </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Source: <a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/70565" target="_blank">Kremlin Press Release</a></b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Vladimir Putin delivered his Address to the Federal Assembly. The ceremony took place in Gostiny Dvor, Moscow. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Begins: </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>President of Russia Vladimir Putin:</i></b> Good afternoon, </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Members of the Federation Assembly – senators, State Duma deputies, </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Citizens of Russia, </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This Presidential Address comes, as we all know, at a difficult, watershed period for our country. This is a time of radical, irreversible change in the entire world, of crucial historical events that will determine the future of our country and our people, a time when every one of us bears a colossal responsibility. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">One year ago, to protect the people in our historical lands, to ensure the security of our country and to eliminate the threat coming from the neo-Nazi regime that had taken hold in Ukraine after the 2014 coup, it was decided to begin the special military operation. Step by step, carefully and consistently we will deal with the tasks we have at hand. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Since 2014, Donbass has been fighting for the right to live in their land and to speak their native tongue. It fought and never gave up amid the blockade, constant shelling and the Kiev regime’s overt hatred. It hoped and waited that Russia would come to help. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In the meantime, as you know well, we were doing everything in our power to solve this problem by peaceful means, and patiently conducted talks on a peaceful solution to this devastating conflict. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Behind our backs, a very different plan was being hatched. As we can see now, the promises of Western leaders, their assurances that they were striving for peace in Donbass turned out to be a sham and outright lies. They were simply marking time, engaged in political chicanery, turning a blind eye to the Kiev regime’s political assassinations and reprisals against undesirable people, their mistreatment of believers. They increasingly incited the Ukrainian neo-Nazis to stage terrorist attacks in Donbass. The officers of nationalist battalions trained at Western academies and schools. Weapons were also supplied. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to emphasise that, prior to the special military operation, Kiev held negotiations with the West about the delivery of air-defence systems, warplanes and other heavy equipment to Ukraine. We also recall the Kiev regime’s vain attempts to obtain nuclear weapons; they discussed this issue publicly. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The United States and NATO quickly deployed their army bases and secret biological laboratories near Russian borders. They mastered the future theatre of war during war games, and they prepared the Kiev regime which they controlled and Ukraine which they had enslaved for a large-scale war. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Now they admit this publicly and openly, and they feel no shame about it. They seem to be proud and even to be revelling in their own perfidy, while calling the Minsk Agreements and the Normandy Format a diplomatic show and a bluff. It turns out that all this time, while Donbass was ablaze, while blood was being spilled, and while Russia sincerely made every effort to achieve a peaceful solution (I want to emphasise the word “sincerely”), they gambled on people’s lives, and in effect, were playing with marked cards, as they say in certain circles. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This appalling method of deception has been tried and tested many times before. They behaved just as shamelessly and duplicitously when destroying Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. They will never be able to wash off this shame. The concepts of honour, trust, and decency are not for them. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Over the long centuries of colonialism, diktat and hegemony, they got used to being allowed everything, got used to spitting on the whole world. It turned out that they treat people living in their own countries with the same disdain, like a master. After all, they cynically deceived them too, tricked them with tall stories about the search for peace, about adherence to the UN Security Council resolutions on Donbass. Indeed, the Western elites have become a symbol of total, unprincipled lies. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We firmly defend our interests as well as our belief that in today’s world there should be no division into so-called civilised countries and all the rest and that there is a need for an honest partnership that rejects any exclusivity, especially an aggressive one. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We were open and sincerely ready for a constructive dialogue with the West; we said and insisted that both Europe and the whole world needed an indivisible security system equal for all countries, and for many years we suggested that our partners discuss this idea together and work on its implementation. But in response, we received either an indistinct or hypocritical reaction, as far as words were concerned. But there were also actions: NATO’s expansion to our borders, the creation of new deployment areas for missile defence in Europe and Asia – they decided to take cover from us under an ‘umbrella’ – deployment of military contingents, and not just near Russia’s borders. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to stress –in fact, this is well-known – that no other country has so many military bases abroad as the United States. There are hundreds of them – I want to emphasise this – hundreds of bases all over the world; the planet is covered with them, and one look at the map is enough to see this. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The whole world witnessed how they withdrew from fundamental agreements on weapons, including the treaty on intermediate and shorter-range missiles, unilaterally tearing up the fundamental agreements that maintain world peace. For some reason, they did it. They do not do anything without a reason, as we know. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, in December 2021, we officially submitted draft agreements on security guarantees to the USA and NATO. In essence, all key, fundamental points were rejected. After that it finally became clear that the go-ahead for the implementation of aggressive plans had been given and they were not going to stop. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The threat was growing by the day. Judging by the information we received, there was no doubt that everything would be in place by February 2022 for launching yet another bloody punitive operation in Donbass. Let me remind you that back in 2014, the Kiev regime sent its artillery, tanks and warplanes to fight in Donbass. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We all remember the aerial footage of airstrikes targeting Donetsk. Other cities also suffered from airstrikes. In 2015, they tried to mount a frontal assault against Donbass again, while keeping the blockade in place and continuing to shell and terrorise civilians. Let me remind you that all of this was completely at odds with the documents and resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council, but everyone pretended that nothing was happening. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me reiterate that they were the ones who started this war, while we used force and are using it to stop the war. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Those who plotted a new attack against Donetsk in the Donbass region, and against Lugansk understood that Crimea and Sevastopol would be the next target. We realised this as well. Even today, Kiev is openly discussing far-reaching plans of this kind. They exposed themselves by making public what we knew already. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We are defending human lives and our common home, while the West seeks unlimited power. It has already spent over $150 billion on helping and arming the Kiev regime. To give you an idea, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the G7 countries earmarked about $60 billion in 2020–2021 to help the world’s poorest countries. Is this clear? They spent $150 billion on the war, while giving $60 billion to the poorest countries, despite pretending to care about them all the time, and also conditioning this support on obedience on behalf of the beneficiary countries. What about all this talk of fighting poverty, sustainable development and protection of the environment? Where did it all go? Has it all vanished? Meanwhile, they keep channelling more money into the war effort. They eagerly invest in sowing unrest and encouraging government coups in other countries around the world. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The recent Munich Conference turned into an endless stream of accusations against Russia. One gets the impression that this was done so that everyone would forget what the so-called West has been doing over the past decades. They were the ones who let the genie out of the bottle, plunging entire regions into chaos. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">According to US experts, almost 900,000 people were killed during wars unleashed by the United States after 2001, and over 38 million became refugees. Please note, we did not invent these statistics; it is the Americans who are providing them. They are now simply trying to erase all this from the memory of humankind, and they are pretending that all this never happened. However, no one in the world has forgotten this or will ever forget it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">None of them cares about human casualties and tragedies because many trillions of dollars are at stake, of course. They can also continue to rob everyone under the guise of democracy and freedoms, to impose neoliberal and essentially totalitarian values, to brand entire countries and nations, to publicly insult their leaders, to suppress dissent in their own countries and to divert attention from corruption scandals by creating an enemy image. We continue to see all this on television, which highlights greater domestic economic, social and inter-ethnic problems, contradictions and disagreements. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to recall that, in the 1930s, the West had virtually paved the way to power for the Nazis in Germany. In our time, they started turning Ukraine into an “anti-Russia.” Actually, this project is not new. People who are knowledgeable about history at least to some extent realise that this project dates back to the 19th century. The Austro-Hungarian Empire and Poland had conceived it for one purpose, that is, to deprive Russia of these historical territories that are now called Ukraine. This is their goal. There is nothing new here; they are repeating everything. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The West expedited the implementation of this project today by supporting the 2014 coup. That was a bloody, anti-state and unconstitutional coup. They pretended that nothing happened, and that this is how things should be. They even said how much money they had spent on it. Russophobia and extremely aggressive nationalism formed its ideological foundation. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Quite recently, a brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was named Edelweiss after a Nazi division whose personnel were involved in deporting Jews, executing prisoners of war and conducting punitive operations against partisans in Yugoslavia, Italy, Czechoslovakia and Greece. We are ashamed to talk about this, but they are not. Personnel serving with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ukrainian National Guard are particularly fond of chevrons formerly worn by soldiers from Das Reich, Totenkopf (Death’s Head) and Galichina divisions and other SS units. Their hands are also stained with blood. Ukrainian armoured vehicles feature insignia of the Nazi German Wehrmacht. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Neo-Nazis are open about whose heirs they consider themselves to be. Surprisingly, none of the powers that be in the West are seeing it. Why? Because they – pardon my language – could not care less about it. They do not care who they are betting on in their fight against us, against Russia. In fact, anyone will do as long as they fight against us and our country. Indeed, we saw terrorists and neo-Nazis in their ranks. They would let all kinds of ghouls join their ranks, for God’s sake, as long as they act on their will as a weapon against Russia. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In fact, the anti-Russia project is part of the revanchist policy towards our country to create flashpoints of instability and conflicts next to our borders. Back then, in the 1930s, and now the design remains the same and it is to direct aggression to the East, to spark a war in Europe, and to eliminate competitors by using a proxy force. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We are not at war with the people of Ukraine. I have made that clear many times. The people of Ukraine have become hostages of the Kiev regime and its Western handlers, who have in fact occupied that country in the political, military and economic sense and have been destroying Ukrainian industry for decades now as they plundered its natural resources. This led to social degradation and an immeasurable increase in poverty and inequality. Recruiting resources for military operations in these circumstances was easy. Nobody was thinking about people, who were conditioned for slaughter and eventually became expendables. It is a sad and dreadful thing to say, but it is a fact. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Responsibility for inciting and escalating the Ukraine conflict as well as the sheer number of casualties lies entirely with the Western elites and, of course, today’s Kiev regime, for which the Ukrainian people are, in fact, not its own people. The current Ukrainian regime is serving not national interests, but the interests of third countries. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The West is using Ukraine as a battering ram against Russia and as a testing range. I am not going to discuss in detail the West's attempts to turn the war around, or their plans to ramp up military supplies, since everyone is well aware of that. However, there is one circumstance that everyone should be clear about: the longer the range of the Western systems that will be supplied to Ukraine, the further we will have to move the threat away from our borders. This is obvious. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Western elite make no secret of their goal, which is, I quote, “Russia’s strategic defeat.” What does this mean to us? This means they plan to finish us once and for all. In other words, they plan to grow a local conflict into a global confrontation. This is how we understand it and we will respond accordingly, because this represents an existential threat to our country. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">However, they too realise it is impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield and are conducting increasingly aggressive information attacks against us targeting primarily the younger generation. They never stop lying and distorting historical facts as they attack our culture, the Russian Orthodox Church and other traditional religious organizations in our country. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Look what they are doing to their own people. It is all about the destruction of the family, of cultural and national identity, perversion and abuse of children, including pedophilia, all of which are declared normal in their life. They are forcing the priests to bless same-sex marriages. Bless their hearts, let them do as they please. Here is what I would like to say in this regard. Adult people can do as they please. We in Russia have always seen it that way and always will: no one is going to intrude into other people’s private lives, and we are not going to do it, either. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">But here is what I would like to tell them: look at the holy scripture and the main books of other world religions. They say it all, including that family is the union of a man and a woman, but these sacred texts are now being questioned. Reportedly, the Anglican Church is planning, just planning, to explore the idea of a gender-neutral god. What is there to say? Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Millions of people in the West realise that they are being led to a spiritual disaster. Frankly, the elite appear to have gone crazy, and it looks like there is no cure for that. But like I said, these are their problems, while we must protect our children, which we will do. We will protect our children from degradation and degeneration. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Clearly, the West will try to undermine and divide our society and to bet on the fifth columnists who, throughout history, and I want to emphasise this, have been using the same poison of contempt for their own Fatherland and the desire to make money by selling this poison to anyone who is willing to pay for it. It has always been that way. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Those who have embarked on the road of outright betrayal, committing terrorist and other crimes against the security of our society and the country’s territorial integrity, will be held accountable for this under law. But we will never behave like the Kiev regime and the Western elite, which have been and still are involved in witch hunts. We will not settle scores with those who take a step aside and turn their back on their Motherland. Let this be on their conscience, let them live with this – they will have to live with it. The main point is that our people, the citizens of Russia, have given them a moral assessment. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I am proud, and I think we are all proud that our multi-ethnic nation, the absolute majority of our citizens, have taken a principled stance on the special military operation. They understand the basic idea of what we are doing and support our actions on the defence of Donbass. This support primarily revealed their true patriotism – a feeling that is historically inherent in our nation. It is stunning in its dignity and deep understnding by everyone – I will stress, everyone – of the inseparable link between one’s own destiny and the destiny of the Fatherland. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">My dear friends, I would like to thank everyone, all the people of Russia for their courage and resolve. I would like to thank our heroes, soldiers and officers in the Army and the Navy, the Russian Guards, the secret services staff, and all structures of authority, the fighters in Donetsk and Lugansk corps, volunteers and patriots who are now fighting in the ranks of the BARS combat army reserve. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to apologise that I will not be able to mention everyone during today’s speech. You know, when I was drafting this speech, I wrote a very long list of these heroic units but then removed it from my text because, as I said, it is impossible to mention everyone, and I was afraid to offend anyone I might leave out. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">My deepest gratitude to the parents, wives and families of our defenders, the doctors and paramedics, combat medics and medical nurses that are saving the wounded; to the railway workers and drivers that are supplying the front; to the builders that are erecting fortifications and restoring housing, roads and civilian facilities; to the workers and engineers at defence companies, who are now working almost around-the-clock, in several shifts; and to rural workers who reliably ensure food security for the country. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I am grateful to the teachers who sincerely care for the young generations of Russia, especially those that are working in very difficult, almost front-line conditions; the cultural figures that are visiting the zone of hostilities and hospitals to support the soldiers and officers; volunteers that are helping the front and civilians; journalists, primarily war correspondents, that are risking their lives to tell the truth to the world; pastors of Russia’s traditional religions and military clergy, whose wise words support and inspire people; government officials and business people – all those who fulfill their professional, civil and simply human duty. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">My special words go to the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. You, my friends, determined your future at the referendums and made a clear choice despite the neo-Nazis’ threats and violence, amid the close military actions. But there has been nothing stronger than your intent to be with Russia, with your Motherland. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">(Applause) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I want to emphasise that this is the reaction of the audience to the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. Once again, our deepest respect for them all. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We have already begun and will expand a major socioeconomic recovery and development programme for these new regions within the Federation. It includes restoring production facilities, jobs, and the ports on the Sea of Azov, which again became Russia’s landlocked sea, and building new, modern road,s like we did in Crimea, which now has a reliable land transport corridor with all of Russia. We will definitely implement all of these plans together. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Russia’s regions are currently providing direct assistance to the cities, districts and villages in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. They are doing it sincerely, like true brothers and sisters. We are together again, which means that we have become even stronger, and we will do everything in our power to bring back the long-awaited peace to our land and ensure the safety of our people. Our soldiers, our heroes are fighting for this, for their ancestors, for the future of their children and grandchildren, for uniting our people. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Friends, I would like to ask you to pay your respects to our fellow soldiers who were killed in the attacks of neo-Nazis and raiders, who gave up their lives for Russia, for civilians, the elderly, women and children. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">(A minute of silence) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We all understand, and I understand also how unbearably hard it is for their wives, sons and daughters, for their parents who raised those dignified defenders of the Fatherland – like the Young Guard members from Krasnodon, young men and women who fought against Nazism and for Donbass during the Great Patriotic War. Everyone in Russia remembers their courage, resilience, enormous strength of spirit and self-sacrifice to this day. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Our duty is to support the families that have lost their loved ones and to help them raise their children and give them an education and a job. The family of each participant in the special military operation must be a priority and treated with care and respect. Their needs must be responded to immediately, without bureaucratic delays. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I suggest establishing a dedicated state fund for bringing targeted, personalised assistance to the families of fallen fighters, as well as veterans of the special military operation. This entity will be tasked with coordinating efforts to offer social, medical support and counselling, and also address matters related to sending them to health resorts and providing rehabilitation services, while also assisting them in education, sports, employment and in acquiring a new profession. This fund will also have an essential mission to ensure long-term home care and high-technology prosthetics for those who need that. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I am asking the Government to work with the State Council Commission on Social Policy and with the regions to resolve the organisational matters as quickly as possible. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The state fund must be transparent in its work, while streamlining assistance and operating as a one-stop-shop, free from red tape or administrative barriers. Every family without exception, and every veteran will have their personal social worker, a coordinator, who will be there for them in person to resolve in real time any issue they might face. Let me emphasise that the fund must open its offices in all regions of the Russian Federation in 2023. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We already have measures in place for supporting Great Patriotic War veterans, combat veterans, as well as participants in local conflicts. I believe these essential elements will be added to the state fund’s mission moving forward. We need to explore this possibility, and I am asking the Government to do so. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Make no mistake: the fact that we are establishing a state fund does not mean that other institutions or officials at other levels of government will be relieved of their responsibility. I expect all federal agencies, regions and municipalities to stay focused on veterans, on service personnel and their families. In this context, I would like to thank the senior regional officials, mayors, and governors who routinely meet with people, including by visiting the line of contact, and support their fellow countrymen. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">On a special note, let me say that today, career service personnel, mobilised conscripts, and volunteers all share frontline hardships, including in terms of provisions, supplies and equipment, remuneration, and insurance payments to the wounded, as well as healthcare services. However, there are complaints that make it all the way to my office, as well as to the governors, as they have been telling me, and to the military prosecutor’s office and the Human Rights Commissioner, showing that some of these issues have yet to be resolved. We need to get to the bottom of each complaint on a case-by-case basis. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">And one more thing: everyone understands that serving in the special military operation zone causes immense physical and mental stress, since people risk their lives and health every day. For this reason, I believe that the mobilised conscripts, as well as all service personnel, and all those taking part in the special military operation, including volunteers, must benefit from a leave of absence of at least 14 days every six months without counting the time it takes them to travel to their destination. This way, every fighter will be able to meet family and spend time with their loved ones. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Colleagues, as you are aware, a 2021–2025 plan for building and developing the Armed Forces was approved by a Presidential Executive Order and is being implemented and adjusted as necessary. Importantly, our next steps to reinforce the Army and the Navy and to secure the current and future development of the Armed Forces must be based on actual combat experience gained during the special military operation, which is extremely important, I would even say absolutely invaluable to us. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">For example, the latest systems account for over 91 percent, 91.3 percent, of Russia's nuclear deterrence forces. To reiterate, based on our newly acquired experience, we must access a similarly high quality level for all other components of the Armed Forces. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Officers and sergeants who act as competent, modern and decisive commanders, and they are many, will be promoted to higher positions as a matter of priority, sent to military universities and academies, and will serve as a powerful personnel reserve for the Armed Forces. Without a doubt, they are a valuable resource in civilian life and at governments at all levels. I just want our colleagues to pay attention to that. It is very important. The people must know that the Motherland appreciates their contribution to the defence of the Fatherland. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We will widely introduce the latest technology to ensure high-quality standards in the Army and Navy. We have corresponding pilot projects and samples of weapons and equipment in each area. Many of them are significantly superior to their foreign counterparts. Our goal is to start mass production. This work is underway and is picking up pace. Importantly, this relies on domestic research and the industrial base and involves small- and medium-sized high-tech businesses in implementation of the state defence order. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Today, our plants, design bureaus and research teams employ experienced specialists and increasing numbers of talented and highly skilled young people who are oriented towards breakthrough achievements while remaining true to the tradition of Russian gunsmiths, which is to spare no effort to ensure victory. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We will certainly strengthen the guarantees for our workforce, in part concerning salaries and social security. I propose launching a special programme for low-cost rental housing for defence industry employees. The rental payments for them will be significantly lower than the going market rate, since a significant portion of it will be covered by the state. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Government reviewed this issue. I instruct you to work through the details of this programme and start building such rental housing without delay, primarily, in the cities that are major defence, industrial and research centres. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Colleagues, </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As I have already said, the West has opened not only military and informational warfare against us, but is also seeking to fight us on the economic front. However, they have not succeeded on any of these fronts, and never will. Moreover, those who initiated the sanctions are punishing themselves: they sent prices soaring in their own countries, destroyed jobs, forced companies to close, and caused an energy crisis, while telling their people that the Russians were to blame for all of this. We hear that. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">What means did they use against us in their efforts to attack us with sanctions? They tried disrupting economic ties with Russian companies and depriving the financial system of its communication channels to shutter our economy, isolate us from export markets and thus undermine our revenues. They also stole our foreign exchange reserves, to call a spade a spade, tried to depreciate the ruble and drive inflation to destructive heights. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me reiterate that the sanctions against Russia are merely a means, while the aim as declared by the Western leaders, to quote them, is to make us suffer. “Make them suffer” – what a humane attitude. They want to make our people suffer, which is designed to destabilise our society from within. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">However, their gamble failed to pay off. The Russian economy, as well as its governance model proved to be much more resilient than the West thought. The Government, parliament, the Bank of Russia, the regions and of course the business community and their employees all worked together to ensure that the economic situation remained stable, offered people protection and preserved jobs, prevented shortages, including of essential goods, and supported the financial system and business owners who invest in their enterprises, which also means investing in national development. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As early as in March 2022, we launched a dedicated assistance package for businesses and the economy worth about a trillion rubles. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that this has nothing to do with printing money. Not at all. Everything we do is solidly rooted in market principles. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In 2022, there was a decline in the gross domestic product. Mr Mishustin called me to say, “I would like to ask you to mention this.” I think that these data were released yesterday, right on schedule. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You may remember that some predicted that the economy would shrink by 20 to 25 percent, or maybe 10 percent. Only recently, we spoke about a 2.9 percent decline, and I was the one who announced this figure. Later it came down to 2.5 percent. However, in 2022, the GDP declined by 2.1 percent, according to the latest data. And we must be mindful of the fact that back in February and March of last year some predicted that the economy would be in free fall. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Russian businesses have restructured their logistics and have strengthened their ties with responsible, predictable partners – there are many of them, they are the majority in the world. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to note that the share of the Russian ruble in our international settlements has doubled as compared to December 2021, reaching one third of the total, and including the currencies of the friendly countries, it exceeds half of all transactions. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We will continue working with our partners to create a sustainable, safe system of international settlements, which will be independent of the dollar and other Western reserve currencies that are bound to lose their universal appeal with this policy of the Western elite, the Western rulers. They are doing all this to themselves with their own hands. We are not the ones reducing transactions in dollars or other so-called universal currencies – they are doing everything with their own hands. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You know, there is a maxim, cannons versus butter. Of course, national defence is the top priority, but in resolving strategic tasks in this area, we should not repeat the mistakes of the past and should not destroy our own economy. We have everything we need to both ensure our security and create conditions for confident progress in our country. We are acting in line with this logic and we intend to continue doing this. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Thus, many basic, I will stress, civilian industries in the national economy are far from being in decline, they have increased their production last year by a considerable amount. The scale of housing put into service exceeded 100 million square meters for the first time in our modern history. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As for agricultural production, it recorded two-digit growth rates last year. Thank you very much. We are most grateful to our agricultural producers. Russian agrarians harvested a record amount – over 150 million tonnes of grain, including over 100 million tonnes of wheat. By the end of the agricultural season, that is, June 30, 2023, we will bring our grain exports to 55–60 million tonnes. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Just 10 or 15 years ago, this seemed like a fairy tale, an absolutely unfeasible plan. If you remember, and I am sure some people do remember this – the former Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture are here – just recently, agrarians took in 60 million tonnes overall in a year, whereas now 55–60 million is their export potential alone. I am convinced we have every opportunity for a similar breakthrough in other areas as well. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We prevented the labour market from collapsing. On the contrary, we were able to reduce unemployment in the current environment. Today, considering the major challenges coming at us from all sides, the labour market is even better than it used to be. You may remember that the unemployment rate was 4.7 percent before the pandemic, and now, I believe, it is 3.7 percent. What is the figure, Mr Mishustin? 3.7 percent? This is an all-time low. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me reiterate that the Russian economy has prevailed over the risks it faced – it has prevailed. Of course, it was impossible to anticipate many of them, and we had to respond literally on the fly, dealing with issues as they emerged. Both the state and businesses had to move quickly. I will note that private actors, SMEs, played an essential role in these efforts, and we must remember this. We avoided having to apply excessive regulation or distorting the economy by giving the state a more prominent role. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">What else there is to say? The recession was limited to the second quarter of 2022, while the economy grew in the third and fourth quarters. In fact, the Russian economy has embarked on a new growth cycle. Experts believe that it will rely on a fundamentally new model and structure. New, promising global markets, including the Asia-Pacific, are taking precedence, as is the domestic market, with its research, technology and workforce no longer geared toward exporting commodities but manufacturing goods with high added value. This will help Russia unleash its immense potential in all spheres and sectors. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We expect to see a solid increase in domestic demand as early as this year. I am convinced that companies will use this opportunity to expand their manufacturing, make new products that are in high demand, and to take over the market niches vacated or about to be vacated by Western companies as they withdraw. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Today, we clearly see what is going on and understand the structural issues we have to address in logistics, technology, finance, and human resources. Over the past years, we have been talking a lot and at length about the need to restructure our economy. Now these changes are a vital necessity, a game changer, and all for the better. We know what needs to be done to enable Russia to make steady progress and to develop independently regardless of any outside pressure or threats, while guaranteeing our national security and interests. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to point out and to emphasise that the essence of our task is not to adapt to circumstances. Our strategic task is to take the economy to a new horizon. Everything is changing now, and changing extremely fast. This is not only a time of challenges but also a time of opportunities. This is really so today. And our future depends on the way we realise these opportunities. We must put an end – and I want to emphase this – to all interagency conflicts, red tape, grievances, doublespeak, or any other nonsense. Everything we do must contribute to achieving our goals and delivering results. This is what we must strive to achieve. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Enabling Russian companies and small family-run businesses to successfully tap the market is a victory in itself. Building cutting-edge factories and kilometres of new roads is a victory. Every new school, every new kindergarten we build is a victory. Scientific discoveries and new technologies – these are also victories, of course. What matters is that all of us contribute to our shared success. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">What areas should we focus the partnership of the state, the regions and domestic business on? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">First, we will expand promising foreign economic ties and build new logistics corridors. A decision has already been made to extend the Moscow-Kazan expressway to Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and Tyumen, and eventually to Irkutsk and Vladivostok with branches to Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. This will, in part, allows us to considerably expand our ties with Southeast Asian markets. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We will develop Black Sea and Sea of Azov ports. We will pay special attention to the North-South international corridor, as those who work on this every day know. Vessels with a draft of up to 4.5 meters will be able to pass through the Volga-Caspian Sea Canal this year. This will open up new routes for business cooperation with India, Iran, Pakistan, and the Middle Eastern countries. We will continue developing this corridor. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Our plans include expedited modernisation of the eastern railways – the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Baikal-Amur Railway (BAM) – and building up the potential of the Northern Sea Route. This will create not only additional freight traffic but also a foundation for reaching our national goals on developing Siberia, the Arctic and the Far East. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The infrastructure of the regions and the development of infrastructure, including communications, telecommunications and railways will receive a powerful impetus. Next year, 2024, we will bring to a proper condition at least 85 percent of all roads in the country’s largest metropolises, as well as over half of all regional and municipal roads. I am sure we will achieve this. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We will also continue our free gas distribution programme. We have already made the decision to extend it to social facilities – kindergartens and schools, outpatient clinics and hospitals, as well as primary healthcare centres. This programme will now be permanent for our citizens – they can always request a connection to the gas distribution system. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This year, we will launch a large programme to build and repair housing and utility systems. Over the next ten years, we plan to invest at least 4.5 trillion rubles in this. We know how important this is for our people and how neglected this area has been. It is necessary to improve this situation, and we will do it. It is important to give the programme a powerful start. So, I would like to ask the Government to ensure stable funding for this. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Second, we will need to significantly expand our economy’s production capabilities and to increase domestic industrial capacity. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">An industrial mortgage tool has been created, and an easy-term loan can now be taken out not only to purchase production facilities, but also to build or upgrade them. The size of such a loan was discussed many times and there were plans to increase it. It is a decent amount for a first step: up to 500 million rubles. It is available at a rate of 3 or 5 percent for up to seven years. It sounds like a very good programme and should be put to good use. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">New terms for industrial clusters took effect this year, including a lower fiscal and administrative burden on resident companies, and long-term state orders and subsidies to support demand for their innovative products, which are just entering the market. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">According to estimates, these measures will generate high-demand projects worth over 10 trillion rubles by 2030. Investment is expected to reach about 2 trillion this year alone. Please note that these are not forecasts, but existing benchmarks. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Therefore, I would like the Government to expedite the launch of these projects, give a hand to businesses and come up with systemic support measures, including tax incentives. I am aware that the financial bloc does not like to provide incentives, and I partly share this approach: the taxation system must be consistent and without niches or exemptions, but this particular case calls for a creative approach. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">So, starting this year, Russian companies will be able to reduce their revenue taxes if they purchase advanced domestic IT solutions and AI-enhanced products. Moreover, these expenses will be credited at one and a half times the actual cost, meaning that every ruble invested in purchasing such products will result in a tax deduction of 1.5 rubles. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I propose extending these deductions to purchases of all kinds of Russian high-tech equipment. I would like the Government to come up with a list of such equipment by specific industry and with the procedure for granting deductions. This is a good solution to reinvigorate the economy. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Third, a crucial issue on our economic development agenda to do with the new sources of funding investment, which we have been talking about a lot. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Thanks to our strong payments balance, Russia does not need to borrow funds abroad, kowtow and beg for money, and then hold long discussions on what, how much and on what conditions we would pay back. Russian banks are working stably and sustainably and have a solid margin for security. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In 2022, the volume of bank loans for the corporate sector increased, I repeat, increased. There was considerable concern about that, but we have reported growth, an increase of 14 percent, or more than we reported in 2021, before the miliary operation. In 2021, the figure was 11.7 percent; last year, it was 14 percent. The mortgage portfolio went up by 20.4 percent. We are growing. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Last year, the banking sector as a whole operated at a profit. It was not as large as in the preceding years, but it was considerable nevertheless: 203 billion rubles. This is another indicator of the stability of the Russian financial sector. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">According to our estimates, inflation in Russia will approach the target figure of 4 percent in the second quarter this year. I would like to remind you that the inflation rate has reached 12, 17 and 20 percent in some EU countries. Our figure is 4 or 5 percent; the Central Bank and the Finance Ministry are still discussing the figure, but it will be close to the target. Given these positive dynamics and other macroeconomic parameters, we are creating objective conditions for lowering long-term interest rates in the economy, which means that loans for the real economic sector will become more affordable. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Individual long-term savings are a vital source of investment resources around the world, and we must also stimulate their attraction into the investment sphere. I would like the Government to expedite the submission of draft laws to the State Duma to launch the relevant state programme as soon as this April. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">It is important to create additional conditions to encourage people to invest and earn at home, in the country. At the same time, it is necessary to guarantee the safety of people’s investment in voluntary retirement savings. We should create a mechanism here similar to the one used for insuring bank deposits. I would like to remind you that such savings, worth up to 1.4 million rubles, are insured by the state on guarantee deposits. I propose doubling the sum to 2.8 million rubles for voluntary retirement savings. Likewise, we must protect people’s investment in other long-term investment instruments, including against the possible bankruptcy of financial brokers. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Separate decisions must be taken to attract funds to rapidly growing and high-tech businesses. We will approve support for the placement of their shares on the domestic stock market, including tax benefits for both the companies and the buyers of their stock. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Freedom of enterprise is a vital element of economic sovereignty. I will repeat: against the backdrop of external attempts to contain Russia, private businesses have proven their ability to quickly adapt to the changing environment and ensure economic growth in difficult conditions. So, every business initiative aimed at benefiting the country should receive support. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I believe it is necessary to return, in this context, to the revision of a number of norms of criminal law as regards the economic elements of crime. Of course, the state must control what is happening in this area. We should not allow an anything-goes attitude here but we should not go too far, either. It is necessary to move faster towards the decriminalisation I mentioned. I hope the Government will consistently and seriously conduct this work together with Parliament, the law-enforcement bodies and business associations. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">At the same time, I would like to ask the Government to suggest, in close cooperation with Parliament, additional measures for speeding up the de-offshorisation of the economy. Businesses, primarily those operating in key sectors and industries should operate in Russian jurisdiction – this is a fundamental principle. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Colleagues, in this context I would like to make a small philosophical digression. This is what I would like to single out. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We remember what problems and imbalances the Soviet economy faced in its later stages. This is why after the collapse of the Soviet Union and its planned system, in the chaos of the 1990s, the country began to create its economy along the lines of market relations and private ownership. Overall, this was the right thing to do. The Western countries were largely an example to follow in this respect. As you know, their advisers were a dime a dozen, and it seemed enough to simply copy their models. True, I remember they still argued with each other – the Europeans argued with the Americans on how the Russian economy should develop. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">And what happened as a result? Our national economy was largely oriented to the West and for the most part as a source of raw materials. Naturally, there were different nuances, but overall, we were seen as a source of raw materials. The reasons for this are also clear – naturally, the new Russian businesses that were taking shape were primarily oriented toward generating profit, quick and easy profit in the first place. What could provide this? Of course, the sale of resources – oil, gas, metals and timber. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Few people thought about other alternatives or, probably, they did not have the opportunity to invest long-term. This is the reason other, more complex industries did not make much headway. It took us years – other governments saw this clearly – to break this negative trend. We had to adjust our tax system and make large-scale public investments. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We have achieved real and visible change. Indeed, the results are there, but, again, we should keep in mind the circumstances in which our major businesses developed. Technologies were coming from the West, cheaper sources of financing and lucrative markets were in the West, and capital started flowing to the West as well. Unfortunately, instead of expanding production and buying equipment and technology to create new jobs in Russia, they spent their money on foreign mansions, yachts and luxury real estate. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">They began to invest in the economy later, but initially the money flowed rapidly to the West for consumption purposes. And since their money was there, that is where their children were educated, where their life was, their future. It was very difficult and almost impossible for the state to track and prevent these developments, because we lived in a free market paradigm. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Recent events have clearly shown that the image of the West as a safe haven for capital was a mirage. Those who failed to understand this in time, who saw Russia only as a source of income and planned to live mostly abroad, have lost a lot. They just got robbed there and saw even their legitimate money taken away. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">At some point I made a joke – many may still remember it – I told Russian businesspeople that they will make themselves sick running from courtroom to courtroom and from office to office in the West trying to save their money. That is exactly how it turned out. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You know, I will say something that is quite simple, but truly important. Trust me, not a single ordinary citizen in our country felt sorry for those who lost their assets in foreign banks, lost their yachts or palaces abroad, and so on. In their conversations around the kitchen table, people have all recalled the privatisation of the 1990s, when enterprises that had been built by our entire nation were sold for next to nothing and the so-called new elites flaunted their lavish lifestyle. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">There are other key aspects. During the years that followed the breakup of the Soviet Union, the West never stopped trying to set the post-Soviet states on fire and, most importantly, finish off Russia as the largest surviving portion of the historical reaches of our state. They encouraged international terrorists to assault us, provoked regional conflicts along the perimeter of our borders, ignored our interests and tried to contain and suppress our economy. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I am saying this because big business in Russia controls strategic enterprises with thousands of workers that determine the socioeconomic well-being of many regions and, hence, the overall state of affairs. So, whenever leaders or owners of such businesses become dependent on governments that adopt policies that are unfriendly to Russia, this poses a great threat to us, a danger to our country. This is an untenable situation. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes, everyone has a choice. Some may choose to live in a seized mansion with a blocked account, trying to find a place for themselves in a seemingly attractive Western capital, a resort or some other comfortable place abroad. Anyone has the right to do that, and we will never infringe on it. But it is time to see that in the West these people have always been and will always remain second class strangers who can be treated any way, and their money, connections and the acquired titles of counts, peers or mayors will not help at all. They must understand that they are second class people there. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">There is another option: to stay with your Motherland, to work for your compatriots, not only to open new businesses but also to change life around you in cities, towns and throughout your country. We have quite a few businesspeople like this, real fighters in our business community, and we associate the future of our business with them. Everyone must know that the sources of their prosperity and their future can only be here, in their native country Russia. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">If they do, we will create a very strong and self-sufficient economy that will not remain aloof in the world but will make use of all its competitive advantages. Russian capital, the money earned here, must be put to work for the country, for our national development. Today, we see huge potential in the development of infrastructure, the manufacturing sector, in domestic tourism and many other industries. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like those who have come up against the predatory mores of the West to hear what I have to say: running around with cap in hand, begging for your own money makes no sense, and most importantly, it accomplishes nothing, especially now that you realise who you are dealing with. Stop clinging to the past, resorting to the courts to get at least something back. Change your lives and your jobs, because you are strong people – I am addressing our businesspeople now, many of whom I have known for years, who know what is what in life. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Launch new projects, earn money, work hard for Russia, invest in enterprises and jobs, and help schools and universities, science and healthcare, culture and sports. In this way, you will increase your wealth and will also win the respect and gratitude of the people for a generation ahead. The state and society will certainly support you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Let us consider this as a message for your business: get moving in the right direction. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Colleagues, </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Russia is an open country and at the same time, a distinct civilisation. There is no claim to exclusivity or superiority in this statement, but this civilisation of ours – that’s what matters. Our ancestors passed it to us and we must preserve it for our descendants and pass it on to them. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We will develop cooperation with friends, with all those who are ready to work with us. We will adopt the best practices but will primarily rely on our own potential, on the creative energy of Russian society, on our traditions and values. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Here I would like to mention the character of our people who have always been distinguished by their generosity, magnanimity, mercy and compassion, and Russia, as a country, fully reflects these traits. We know how to be good friends, how to stand by one’s word. We will never let anyone down and will always support those in a difficult situation without hesitation. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Everyone remembers that during the pandemic we were actually the first to support some European countries, including Italy and other states when they were going through the most difficult weeks of the COVID outbreak, and let’s not forget how we are helping Syria and Turkiye after a devastating earthquake. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">It is the people of Russia that are the foundation of our national sovereignty and our source of power. The rights and freedoms of our citizens are immutable – they are guaranteed by the Constitution and we will not depart from this despite the external challenges and threats. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to emphasise in this context that elections to local and regional government bodies next September and the presidential elections in 2024 will take place in strict accordance with the law and observance of all democratic, constitutional provisions. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Elections always reveal different approaches to resolving social and economic goals. That said, the leading political forces are consolidated and united in the main idea – the security and wellbeing of the people; our sovereignty and our national interests override everything else for us. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to thank you for this responsible, firm position and recall the words of Pyotr Stolypin, a patriot and a proponent of a strong Russian state. He said this in the State Duma over a hundred years ago, but it is still consonant with our times. He said: “In the cause of defending Russia, all of us must unite and coordinate our efforts, our commitements and our rights for supporting one historical supreme right – the right of Russia to be strong.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Volunteers at the frontline include deputies of the State Duma and regional parliaments, representatives from different levels of executive government bodies, municipalities, cities, districts and rural areas. All parliamentary parties and leading public associations are taking part in collecting humanitarian aid to help at the front. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you once again – thank you for such a patriotic stand. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Local governments as a public authority closest to the people play a huge role in strengthening civil society and solving everyday problems. People’s trust in the state as a whole, social welfare of the country’s citizens and their confidence in the successful development of the country depends on how they work. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to ask the Presidential Executive Office and the Government to submit proposals on creating tools of direct support for the best managerial teams and practices in large, medium-sized and small municipalities. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The free development of society means being ready to take responsibility for yourself and your loved ones, for your country. These qualities must be encouraged from a young age in the family. Of course, the system of education and our national culture are extremely important for strengthening our common values and our national identity. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The state will use the resources of the Presidential Grants Foundation, the Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, the Institute for Internet Development and other instruments to support all forms of creative endeavour, such as contemporary and traditional art, realism and avant-garde, classical and innovative works. It is not genres or trends that matter. Culture must serve the good, beauty and harmony, ponder some very complicated and contradictory issues in life, but its main mission is not to tear down society but to nurture the best human qualities. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Cultural development will be a priority of rebuilding peaceful life in Donbass and Novorossiya. We will have to rebuild, repair and provide equipment to hundreds of cultural facilities there, including museum collections and buildings, which help people feel the connection between the past and the present and create a link to the future, to feel their affiliation with the common cultural, historical and educational space of the centuries-old great Russia. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We must work together with our teachers, academics and professionals to seriously improve the quality of school and university textbooks, first of all in the humanities – history, social science, literature and geography – so that our young people learn as much as possible about Russia, its great past, its culture and traditions. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We have brilliant, talented young people who are willing to work for the benefit of our country in areas like scientific research, culture, the social sphere, business and public administration. The Leaders of Russia competition, as well as the Leaders of Revival competition currently taking place in the new constituent entities of the Federation, are opening up new horizons for career growth for these very people. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Notably, a number of winners and finalists in these competitions have voluntarily joined military units. Many of them are now working in the liberated territories helping rebuild economic and social life, and they are acting professionally, decisively and courageously. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Generally speaking, nothing can replace the school of war. People return entirely different, and they are ready to lay down their lives for the Fatherland, wherever they may be working. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me stress that it’s precisely those who were born and raised in Donbass and Novorossiya, who have fought for them, they will be and should form the foundation of our joint effort to develop these regions. I want them to hear me: Russia is counting on you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">With the ambitious tasks facing our country in mind, we must seriously revise our approaches to the system of professional education, to our science and technology policy. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">At the recent meeting of the Council for Science and Education, we </span><a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/70473" style="font-size: large;">discussed</a><span style="font-size: medium;"> the need to prioritise our efforts, to concentrate resources on obtaining specific and fundamentally meaningful scientific results, primarily in areas where we have done a fair amount of work and which are of critical importance to our country, including transport, energy, housing and utilities, public healthcare, agriculture, and the manufacturing industry. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Innovative technology invariably relies on existing fundamental research. Here, just like in culture – and I want to emphasise this – we must give researchers greater freedom for creativity. We should not have everyone just focused on the results that we will need tomorrow. Fundamental science makes its own rules. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Also, setting and fulfilling ambitious goals is a powerful incentive for young people to choose science as their field and a chance to prove their leadership skills and being the best in the world. Our research teams have much to be proud of. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Last December, I </span><a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/69967" style="font-size: large;">met</a><span style="font-size: medium;"> with some of our young researchers. One of their questions concerned housing. A mundane, but important issue. Housing certificates for young researchers are already available. Last year, an additional one billion rubles was set aside for these purposes. I hereby instruct the Government to identify reserves to expand this programme. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In recent years, the prestige of secondary vocational education has grown significantly. The demand for graduates of technical schools and colleges is just huge, colossal. You see, if our unemployment has fallen to a historic low of 3.7 percent, it means that people are working, new personnel is needed. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I believe that we should significantly expand the Professionalitet project, under which educational and industrial clusters are created, the educational base is updated, and enterprises and employers develop educational programmes based on the needs of the economy in close contact with colleges and technical schools. And of course, it is very important for mentors with experience in real, complex production to join in. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The task is clear: in the next five years we need to train about a million specialists of working professions for the electronics industry, the robotics industry, mechanical engineering, metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and the defence industry, construction, transport, nuclear and other industries that are key to ensuring the security, sovereignty and competitiveness of Russia. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, a very important question is about our higher education. Significant changes are also overdue here, considering the new requirements for specialists in the economy, social sectors, and in all spheres of life in our country. What we need here is a synthesis of all the best that was in the Soviet system of education and the experience of recent decades. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In this regard, the following is proposed. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">First, to return to the basic training of specialists with higher education, which is traditional for our country. The term of study can be four to six years. At the same time, programmes can be offered that differ in terms of training, depending on the specific profession, industry and labour market demand even within the same specialty and one university. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Second, if a profession requires additional training or niche specialisation, in this case a young person will be able to continue education by doing a master’s degree or choosing residency training. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Third, postgraduate studies will be made into a separate level of professional education, the task of which is to train personnel for scientific and teaching professions. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I want to emphasise that the transition to the new system should be smooth. The Government, together with parliamentarians, will need to make numerous amendments to legislation on education, on the labour market, and so on. Here you need to think everything through, work out every detail. Young people, our citizens should have new opportunities for quality education, employment and professional growth. I repeat: opportunities, not problems. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">And I would like to specifically note that those students who are studying now will be able to continue their education under existing programmes. And also, the level of training and higher education diplomas of citizens who have already completed studies under current undergraduate, specialist or master’s programmes are not subject to revision. They must not lose their rights. I ask the Russian Popular Front to take all issues related to changes in the field of higher education under special control. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This year was declared the Year of the Teacher and Mentor in Russia. Teachers are directly involved in building the country’s future, and it is important to raise the social status of their work. Parents should talk to their children more about gratitude for their teachers, and teachers should instil in children respect and love for their parents. Let’s always remember this. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I will talk about support for children and Russian families in a minute. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to note that the so-called children’s budget, or budget allocations to support families in Russia, has increased manifold rather than by a small percent over the past few years. These expenses are the fastest growing part of the country’s main financial document – the budget, the law on the budget. I would like to thank the parliament members and the Government for their uniform, consolidated understanding of our national priorities. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">On February 1, the maternity capital in Russia was again adjusted for inflation. As we promised, it was adjusted by last year’s inflation rate, that is, by 11.9 percent. Russian citizens – residents of the new regions of the Federation – are also entitled to this support now. I suggest granting maternity capital to families in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions where children were born starting from 2007, that is, when this programme was launched throughout Russia. I will recall that at one time we made a similar decision for the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We will continue implementing large-scale programmes aimed at improving the living standards of Russian families. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to emphasise that the Government and the regions of the Federation have been given a practical goal – to ensure noticeable, tangible growth in real wages in Russia. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As we all know, an important indicator, a starting point here is the minimum wage. We raised it twice last year, almost by 20 percent overall. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We will continue raising the minimum wage, doing it at a rate that is higher than the inflation rate and the real wage growth rate. Since the start of this year, the minimum wage was adjusted by 6.3 percent. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I suggest supplementing the planned increase by an additional 10 percent starting January 1, 2024. Thus, the minimum wage will have grown by 18.5 percent to constitute 19,242 rubles. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Now I would like to mention adjustments to the taxation system for the benefit of Russian families. Starting last year, families with two or more children have been relieved of paying tax on the sale of housing if they are purchasing a new, bigger flat or house. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">It is necessary to make better use of these instruments – they have proven to be in demand. Families should have more money in their family budgets to be able to resolve their most important and urgent problems. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I suggest increasing the amount of social tax deductions: for children’s education costs – from current 50,000 rubles to 110,000 rubles per year, and for costs on personal education, medical treatment or purchase of medications – from current 120,000 to 150,000 rubles. The state will reimburse the 13 percent income tax paid on these increased amounts. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Naturally we need not only to increase this deduction, but also to make this benefit easily available to people. This deduction should be granted proactively, quickly and online. This process should be easy for applicants. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Next. The well-being, the quality of life of Russian families, and therefore the demographic situation, depend directly on the state of things in the social sphere. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I know that many regions of the Federation are ready to significantly speed up renovation of social infrastructure, cultural and sports facilities, relocation of people from dilapidated housing, and comprehensive development of rural areas. This attitude will certainly be supported. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We will use the following mechanism here: the regions will be able to receive now and use the funds that have been set aside in the 2024 federal budget for national projects, through interest-free treasury loans – they will be automatically repaid in April of 2024. It is a good tool. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We will keep this issue under constant review, and I ask the State Council Commission On Economy and Finance to become involved in this work. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">However, we don't need to rush and chase after numbers, especially to the detriment of the quality of the facilities being built. Additional financial resources must be used efficiently to give a high return. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This is particularly vital for the modernisation of primary health care, a large-scale programme that we launched in 2021. I ask the Government and regional leaders not to forget that the benchmark – I have said this many times – is not the numbers in reports, but concrete, visible, tangible progress in the availability and quality of medical care. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I also instruct the Government to adjust the regulatory framework for organising the procurement of ambulances with diagnostic equipment. They allow for medical check-ups and preventive examinations to be carried out directly at enterprises, schools, offices and in remote communities. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We have launched a large-scale school renovation programme. By the end of this year, a total of almost 3,500 school buildings will have been renovated. I would like to point out that most of them are in rural areas and we have done this on purpose. This year such work is also being carried out in the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. It is meaningful and visible, people really see what is happening. This is very good. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">From 2025 onwards, federal funds will be regularly and systematically allocated to the regions for repairing and renovating kindergartens, schools, vocational schools and colleges so as to avoid situations where buildings are in dilapidated condition. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Next, we have set a major goal, to build more than 1,300 new schools between 2019 and 2024. Of these, 850 are now open. Another 400 will open this year. I want the regions to stay on track to meet these objectives. The amount of federal funding for this 2019–2024 programme is almost 490 billion rubles. We will not cut these costs, we will keep this amount intact. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This year, we increased the amount of infrastructure budget loans. We are sending additional funds, not as previously planned, but an additional 250 billion rubles for expanding transport, utility and other infrastructure in the regions. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I hereby instruct the Government to allocate, in addition to these funds, an additional 50 billion rubles – which will be purposefully used to upgrade public transport in the constituent entities of the Federation this year. This upgrade will be used for the latest technology. Please pay special attention to small towns and rural areas. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We have decided to extend the Clean Air project through 2030. The goal is to improve the environment in major industrial centres. I want industrial companies and regional and local authorities to keep in mind that a significant reduction in harmful emissions remains on the agenda. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In addition, we have accomplished much in reforming the waste management industry. We are building up recycling and sorting capacity which will help us build a closed-loop economy. Further elimination of old landfills and hazardous material sites is our top priority. I want the Government, in conjunction with the regions, to draft a list of harmful sites that will be eliminated upon the completion of this programme. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We will continue to restore unique water bodies, including Lake Baikal and the Volga River. In the medium term, we will extend this work to other rivers such as the Don, Kama, Irtysh, Ural, Terek, Volkhov and Neva rivers, and Lake Ilmen. We must not forget about medium and small rivers. I want all levels of government to pay attention to this. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As part of an earlier instruction, a draft law on promoting tourism in specially protected nature areas has been submitted. It was recently discussed at a meeting with the Government. It should clearly define what can be built and where and what cannot, and generally set forth the principles of the ecotourism industry. This is a critically important issue for our country. I ask the State Duma to speed up consideration of this draft law. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Now I will say a few words about what is happening around us. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Colleagues, I will talk about one more issue. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In early February, the North Atlantic alliance made a statement with actual demand to Russia, as they put it, to return to the implementation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, including admission of inspections to our nuclear defence facilities. I don’t even know what to call this. It is a kind of a theatre of the absurd. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We know that the West is directly involved in the Kiev regime’s attempts to strike at our strategic aviation bases. The drones used for this purpose were equipped and updated with the assistance of NATO specialists. And now they also want to inspect our defence facilities? In the current conditions of confrontation, it simply sounds insane. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to draw your attention specifically to the fact that they are not letting us conduct full-scale inspections under this treaty. Our repeated applications to inspect different facilities remain unanswered or are rejected under formal pretexts, and we cannot verify anything on the other side. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I would like to stress that the United States and NATO are openly saying that their goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. And what, after such statements they are supposed to tour our defence facilities, including the latest ones, as if nothing happened? A week ago, I signed an executive order putting new land-based strategic systems on combat duty. Are they going to poke their nose there as well? Do they think we will let them go there just because? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Having made this collective statement, NATO actually claimed to be a participant in the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms. We agree with this, please go ahead. Moreover, we believe this framing of the issue is long overdue. Let me recall that the US is not the only nuclear power in NATO. Britain and France also have nuclear arsenals. They are developing and upgrading them and these arsenals are also directed against us – they are also directed against Russia. The latest statements by their leaders merely confirm it – listen for yourselves. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We cannot just ignore this and have no right to do so especially now. Nor can we forget that the Soviet Union and the United States initially signed the first Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms in 1991 in a completely different situation – in conditions of abating tensions and growing mutual trust. Subsequently, our relations reached a level that allowed Russia and the US to say they no longer considered each other enemies. Wonderful, everything was going very well. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Treaty of 2010 that is in force contains critically important provisions about indivisible security and the direct link between strategic offensive and defensive arms. All of that has long been forgotten. The United States withdrew from the ABM Treaty. It is now a thing of the past. Importantly, our relations have degraded which can be credited entirely to the United States. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">After the Soviet Union broke up, they began to revise the outcomes of World War II and to build an American-style world ruled by one master. To do this, they began to rudely destroy the foundations of the international order laid down after WWII in order to cross out the legacy of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences. Step by step, they proceeded to revise the existing international order, to dismantle security and arms control systems, and plotted and carried out a series of wars around the world. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">To reiterate, all of that was done for the sole purpose of dismantling the post-WWII architecture of international relations. This is not a figure of speech. This is how it all unfolded in reality. After the Soviet Union collapsed, they sought to perpetuate their global dominance regardless of the interests of modern Russia or other countries for that matter. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Sure enough, the international situation changed after 1945. New centres of growth and influence have been formed and are rapidly expanding. This is a natural and objective process that cannot be ignored. But the United States trying to refashion the international order to suit exclusively its own needs and selfish interests is unacceptable. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Now, they are using NATO to give us signals, which, in fact, is an ultimatum whereby Russia should, no questions asked, implement everything that it agreed to, including the New START Treaty, whereas they will do as they please. As if there is no connection between strategic offensive weapons and, say, the conflict in Ukraine or other hostile Western actions against our country. As if there are no vociferous claims about them seeking to inflict a strategic defeat on us. This is either the height of hypocrisy and cynicism, or the height of stupidity, but they are not idiots. They are not stupid after all. They want to inflict a strategic defeat on us and also to get to our nuclear sites. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In this regard, I am compelled to announce today that Russia is suspending its membership in the New START Treaty. To reiterate, we are not withdrawing from the Treaty, but rather suspending our participation. Before we come back to discussing this issue, we must have a clear idea of what NATO countries such as France or Great Britain have at stake, and how we will account for their strategic arsenals, that is, the Alliance's combined offensive capabilities. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Their statement comes, in fact, as a request to join this process. Well, come onboard, we do not mind. Just try not to lie to everyone this time and present yourselves as champions of peace and detente. We know the truth. We are aware of the fact that certain types of US nuclear weapons are reaching the end of their service life. In this regard, we know for certain that some politicians in Washington are already pondering live nuclear tests, especially since the United States is developing innovative nuclear weapons. There is information to that effect. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Given these circumstances, the Defence Ministry and Rosatom must make everything ready for Russia to conduct nuclear tests. We will not be the first to proceed with these tests, but if the United States goes ahead with them, we will as well. No one should harbour dangerous illusions that global strategic parity can be disrupted. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Colleagues, citizens of Russia, </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Today, we are together living through challenging times and overcoming all difficulties together as well. It could not have been otherwise because we have been raised on the example of our great ancestors and must be worthy of their behests that are passed down from generation to generation. We are moving only forward owing to our devotion to our Motherland, our will and our unity. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This cohesion was on display from the first days of the special military operation – hundreds of volunteers, representatives of all ethnicities of our country came to recruitment offices. They decided to stand by the defenders of Donbass, to fight for their native land, for their Fatherland, for the truth and justice. Today, warriors from all regions of our multi-ethnic Motherland are fighting shoulder to shoulder on the frontlines. They pray in different languages, but they all pray for victory, for their fellow soldiers and for the Motherland. (Applause.) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Their difficult military labour, their exploits are finding a powerful response all over Russia. People are supporting our fighters. They don’t want to stay on the sidelines. The front is now passing through the hearts of our people in their millions. They are sending medicine, communication devices, transport, warm clothes and camouflage nets, to name a few – everything that helps protect the lives of our fighters. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I know the comfort letters from children and schoolkids give to our soldiers at the front. They take them into battle as a cherished possession because the sincerity and purity of children’s wishes bring tears to their eyes. They feel more forcefully for whose sake they are fighting and whom they are defending. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Warriors, their families and civilians greatly appreciate the care with which volunteers are surrounding them. They have been acting boldly and decisively from the very start of the special military operation. Under fire and shelling they are leading children, elders and all those in trouble out of basements; they were and still are bringing food, water and clothes to hot spots; they are setting up humanitarian aid centres for refugees and helping doctors in field hospitals and on the combat contact line; they continue to risk their lives to save others. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Russian Popular Front alone raised over five billion rubles as part of the All for Victory initiative. The flow of donations does not stop. Every contribution is important and this applies to those made by large companies and businesspeople. But especially touching and inspiring are the donations of people with modest incomes, which are contributing part of their savings, salaries and pensions. This coming together to help our warriors, civilians in the zone of hostilities and refugees is worth a lot. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you for this sincere support, cohesion and mutual aid. It is impossible to overstate their importance. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Russia will meet any challenges because we are all one country, a big and united nation. We are confident in ourselves and confident in our strength. The truth is on our side. (Applause.) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you. </span><br /><br /> Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-54179941476798658452023-02-19T12:53:00.001-05:002023-05-21T08:07:24.993-04:00Higher Prices forecast for 2023 by the Food and Beverage Industry<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCspbntkgJ--wmYTnallWUMa1P-OpuTUsg5IOe9mKCBKkhhoAkeVFIMrTTd0uGvPk693iOzrKfAwM1V1NJr0kM56eAt_FQVHyhvRsL7NJp9iF99_NtUo8rshYc-jD-RFk9FkYLkNLx_1eb7iW3Izx2_JqPBQKDd5mdIBEEe0X61OReMXUav-BijHI/s1920/20230219%20%E2%80%93%20Higher%20Prices%20forecast%20for%202023%20by%20the%20Food%20and%20Beverage%20Industry%20%2001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCspbntkgJ--wmYTnallWUMa1P-OpuTUsg5IOe9mKCBKkhhoAkeVFIMrTTd0uGvPk693iOzrKfAwM1V1NJr0kM56eAt_FQVHyhvRsL7NJp9iF99_NtUo8rshYc-jD-RFk9FkYLkNLx_1eb7iW3Izx2_JqPBQKDd5mdIBEEe0X61OReMXUav-BijHI/w640-h360/20230219%20%E2%80%93%20Higher%20Prices%20forecast%20for%202023%20by%20the%20Food%20and%20Beverage%20Industry%20%2001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">By Stewart Brennan </span></i></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Nestle, one of the major corporations within the food and beverage industry has just confirmed <b>price increases on their products as a result of inflation; (See <a href="https://www.nestle.com/media/pressreleases/allpressreleases/full-year-results-2022" target="_blank">Here</a> [01] and <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/571728-nestle-food-prices-grim-forecast/" target="_blank">Here</a> [02])</b> Just one of the many serious topics I wrote about in my second book <b>(<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Activist-Poet-2-Stewart-Brennan/dp/B09JBHGHV1/" target="_blank">The Activist Poet Vol 2</a>) [03] </b>in 2021. <br /><br />In fact, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Heineken, Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble among others have also mentioned that there will be further increases in the prices of their products in 2023, as they navigate the destructive nature of inflation and growth economics to maintain dividend payouts to share holders. <br /><br />In my book, I used the food and beverage industry as an example of the hidden dangers of growth economics due to the nature of our economic system. Growth is exponential for corporations which becomes parasitic, as inflation and market profit taking eventually consumes everything to their ultimate destruction. <br /><br />Here is an excerpt from my book that explains the exponential nature of corporate growth. </span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">From “The Activist Poet Volume 2”: </span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“The greatest shortcomings of the human race, is our “inability” to understand the exponential function.” ~ <b><i>Dr. Albert Bartlett </i></b><br /><br />Below is a real example of what happens when a corporation has usurped its market but still requires growth to hedge off its rising costs and potential bankruptcy. However, keep in mind that corporate survival also requires a steady supply of energy and so energy must always be available for a corporation to continue its growth. <br /></span><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Inflation and Growth within the food industry </span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As population continues to grow, the demand for food and energy also increases. But the energy needed (Oil & Gas) to help meet these demands are not an infinite resource and therefore cannot continue to increase forever. At some point supply will not be able to meet demand. In a normal world this would not be a sudden thing, but a gradual decline depending on demand. <br /><br />However, the way our economic system is set up, corporations require a constant growth or their rising overhead costs eventually overtake their profits and send the company into debt, which if not remedied, will send the company into bankruptcy. <br /><br />Corporations compete in their markets with other corporations to secure as much of the market share as possible. During this corporate war there are winners and losers. The losers either go bankrupt and fade away, or are consumed in consolidation or merger agreements. Eventually there are only a few big players left in the market and so they then find themselves not only bigger but with a much larger task to feed its constant growth requirements. Failure to do so begins a timeline of collapse. <br /><br />The only options left for a company to feed its growth requirement once it has overtaken its market is to tighten its belt via lean business practices for efficiency including employee reductions if not done already, or to increase the cost for its products, reduce the portion size of the product or expand acquisitions into different industry markets. However, taking the last option of expanding into different markets only prolongs the inevitable, as growth even then is required. It becomes a vicious cycle that is, over all, parasitic to the entire system because there’s no safe plateau or off switch. Something must perish to ensure the continued growth of the corporate entity. <br /><br />The Food and Beverage Industry is by far one of the largest industries in the world. One only has to look at some of the biggest players to see the truth of what growth economics has created through consolidation of their own markets and expansion into other markets. Tyson Foods, Nestle, Mars Inc, JBS, Kraft Heinz, Smithfield Foods, Unilever, General Mills, Kellogg, Coca Cola, PepsiCo, AB InBev, SYSCO, Cargill, George Weston Ltd, and others are multi conglomerates as a result. <br /><br />The companies that own and control the Food & Beverage Industry are in a vicious growth cycle that threatens millions of people in North America alone. Competition is all but gone as many of the brand names have been consolidated by a few mega corporations and these companies require constant growth to maintain their bottom lines. <br /><br />Some of the things that affect corporate bottom lines are of course energy costs, raw material inflation, increased feed costs, crop damage, and stock market profit taking. An increase in operation costs is mostly generated by the nature of our economic system which demands growth. <br /><br />Although the function of these corporations within the system seems stable in 2021, they are really quite vulnerable, it doesn’t take much to cause a disruption in supply lines when a company becomes that size. The COVID operation has certainly put everything to the test and although people bought more quick foods and beverages, a corporation requires time to plan and increase its capacity so “Just in Time” shipments for swings or runs on buying, is not possible which can lead to disruption in supply lines. But also, when materials and supplies to produce are delayed or not available. <br /><br />Today in 2021, when going into a grocery store, if you look around, you’ll notice that there are fewer and fewer products on the shelves than ten, twenty and thirty years ago. Many have been thinned out over the years, removing variety as the competition was swallowed up and discontinued, while portion sizes on the brands that remain have been getting smaller and smaller (25% to 30% each shot) while the prices have jumped 25% to 30% each time there is a fluctuation in the corporation’s bottom line since the 2008 market crash. <br /><br />When looking back to the 1980’s, 1990’s, and in some cases even to the decade before the 2008 market crash, variety was present, portion sizes were bigger, and costs were much lower, yet the number of independent companies were more numerous, their margins were smaller, and their values were in the millions. Whereas today, most of those companies have consolidated or merged into mega corporations with valuations in the tens of billions, to hundreds of billions of dollars and of course they have huge economic and political power. <br /><br />Change must come in the way our banking and economic system works so that the need for constant growth is eliminated and the costs of everything remain stable without inflation. <br /><br />Capitalism and socialism will not work with the economic growth model in place because growth, which is exponential, meets with problems in supply and demand of finite resources. The entire system then becomes vulnerable to collapse. <br /><br />We absolutely DO need to make a change, but it will have to be a 21st century sustainable socialism that we need to move to, and for that to happen, the current unsustainable economic system must end. When it does, that will be the moment we either evolve or perish. Change won’t happen overnight, there’s a transition period we need to go through to bring about change. The length of time that the transition lasts will depend on education, freedom of speech, freedom of information and cooperation. <br /><br />Here is a lesson that explains how <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0ghHia-M54" target="_blank">growth is an exponential function</a> [04] </b>given by Dr. Albert Bartlett which truly helps clear up any confusion about what the systems economic growth equation does to everything our economic system touches. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sustainability 101 - Exponential Growth - Arithmetic, Population and Energy</span></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="404" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o0ghHia-M54" width="481" youtube-src-id="o0ghHia-M54"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">2023 is going to be a painful year around the world as food insecurity begins to gather momentum due to rising fuel prices and market profit taking that drives inflation and consumer prices higher. <br />----------------------------</span><div><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">LINKS: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">[01] <a href="https://www.nestle.com/media/pressreleases/allpressreleases/full-year-results-2022" target="_blank">Nestle Full Year Results 2022</a><br />[02] <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/571728-nestle-food-prices-grim-forecast/" target="_blank">Nestle Food Prices Grim Forecast</a><br />[03] <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Activist-Poet-2-Stewart-Brennan/dp/B09JBHGHV1/" target="_blank">The Activist Poet Volume 2</a><br />[04] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0ghHia-M54" target="_blank">Sustainability 101 - Exponential Growth - Arithmetic, Population and Energy</a></span><br /><br /><br /></b></div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-25989205427505387142023-02-18T12:25:00.004-05:002023-02-19T09:34:03.698-05:00Joe Biden a Serious Threat to Global Security<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QU3L41QjpCGbE31fa8x0IKPwMCZRGHTU4xMLHP0ASrOHdHlkt8izGIR4QtLu92EQ_yuGWfxMx00uJI8zrP9xylp0-GXOSCDbsy2a4Y4EvRIMXJCmSsDAdubzLCbRsv-54MQB01lJL4GFvym7vLaYjoplAcoIHsSlPE2iRzPm4DiWYXsLeR5dNsEh/s1920/Joe%20Biden%20a%20Serious%20Threat%20to%20Global%20Peace.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QU3L41QjpCGbE31fa8x0IKPwMCZRGHTU4xMLHP0ASrOHdHlkt8izGIR4QtLu92EQ_yuGWfxMx00uJI8zrP9xylp0-GXOSCDbsy2a4Y4EvRIMXJCmSsDAdubzLCbRsv-54MQB01lJL4GFvym7vLaYjoplAcoIHsSlPE2iRzPm4DiWYXsLeR5dNsEh/w640-h360/Joe%20Biden%20a%20Serious%20Threat%20to%20Global%20Peace.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>By: Stewart Brennan </i></b><br /><br />By now it should be obvious that Joe Biden’s Alzheimer's is getting worse as he’s showing more and more signs of irrational behavior, memory loss, impairment, and confusion while losing his bearings in both conversation and decision making.<br /><br />What many may not know is that Alzheimer's patients are also prone to fits of anger with a total lack of not being able to reason things out, and that's a real problem if it affects a person in a position of power, let alone the leader of a nuclear power in decline. <br /><br />Anger is a normal trait in Joe Biden's character as history has proven; he's been a loose cannon for decades. However, with Alzheimer's, his anger and irrational behavior have become a major threat to global security as the job requires someone with all their faculties. <br /><br />Biden’s current inability for rational thought or critical thinking in day-to-day decisions has shown itself in public many times but his obsession for defeating Russia expressed through his fiery delusional speeches and his military determination of backing Ukraine to the last Ukrainian has become dangerously irrational which was proven by <b>his decision to destroy the Nord Stream I & II gas pipelines [See <a href="https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream" target="_blank">Here</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/OS4O8rGRLf8" target="_blank">Here</a>]. </b><br /><br />Biden is obsessed with winning a losing battle in Ukraine that has cost Europe their economic future by <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=likS4XyV2bw" target="_blank">his insistence</a> [03]</b> that they obey U.S. Government dictates on energy and economic sanctions on Russia while pushing NATO nations to provide military hardware to Ukraine where the US proxy war on Russia is taking place. <br /><br />NATO nations have not only shown that they are militarily weak but they are also in rapid economic decline for having obeyed American foreign policies. Economies cannot run without a cheap supply of energy. In Joe Biden’s mind, the unity of NATO under US foreign policy dictatorship, strengthens the group, but as we’ve seen recently, with the individual European NATO nations unable to provide adequate military equipment for this suicidal cause, NATO nations have exposed just how weak they are.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">No doubt the next step in US economic and foreign policy will be to force NATO nations to buy lots of American weapons…I’m sure Joe Biden will “insist” on it. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33kEzCW8FlYBlRoSOBdvVa6EKHjHgm817vtTaGQ1XrLlheBAoLrcjxfEH4RocNy5S40CfigKzfeejPYY_jebAZh9FEEjgHYaBXDtO47GC2WPLpme5pJGJea3nWezvWDgfs1NASZz57cAJgV-6u7PrH2lrHxMgSCmoMptUi7fZOvODxMJ5JMLaldXM/s1280/US%20military%20spending%20in%20Ukraine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33kEzCW8FlYBlRoSOBdvVa6EKHjHgm817vtTaGQ1XrLlheBAoLrcjxfEH4RocNy5S40CfigKzfeejPYY_jebAZh9FEEjgHYaBXDtO47GC2WPLpme5pJGJea3nWezvWDgfs1NASZz57cAJgV-6u7PrH2lrHxMgSCmoMptUi7fZOvODxMJ5JMLaldXM/w640-h360/US%20military%20spending%20in%20Ukraine.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Joe Biden and the American government continue to pour tens of billions of dollars into the failed state that is Ukraine (Over 113 billion to date) while believing Ukraine will win a war against Russia...thousands of Ukraine soldiers have died for Joe Biden’s cause and continue to die needlessly.<br /><br />Europe is at the cusp of a slow painful economic collapse due to the sanctions that Joe Biden “Insisted” that European nations levy on Russia (Insisting means being threatened with retaliation if they do not obey.) Of course, Europe complied like the weakling puppets they are and are now on the road to economic collapse or perhaps war with Russia… <br /><br />If the recent publicized balloon shoot downs over North America have done anything (Besides distraction), they show an immense disconnect, paranoia and poor handling on the part of Joe Biden. <br /><br /><b>How much longer will Joe Biden remain in power? </b><br /><br />A real medical exam, unlike <b><a href="https://odysee.com/@RT:fd/BidenHEALTHY:8" target="_blank">the one he received</a> [04]</b> on Feb 16th, 2023, would remove this dangerous Alzheimer’s patient from power in a flash. However, the level of US government insanity that has plagued the world for the past 33 years (1990) doesn't look like its about to cave in just yet. Then again, could the US deep state be ready to look in the mirror and save what they have left, or will they blow it all in a losing crap shoot with a presidential warmonger who's prone to fits of rage and can't remember where he is? <br /><br />Biden is a deep state pawn that won the 2020 US election by a well-organized mail-in fraud, so there's support for him behind the scenes. One would think there would be growing voices opposed to his remaining in office as he's become extremely dangerous to America and to the US deep state economic positions...and of course, he's a danger to the world in general. (Too late for Europe now I think, barring some economic or energy miracle.) <br /><br />If the power structure and its controllers in the U.S. were moral characters and embraced a system built with honesty, then Biden and many of the other sociopaths the C.F.R. <b><a href="https://worldunitednews.blogspot.com/2007/07/controlling-council-on-foreign.html" target="_blank">(Council on Foreign Relations)</a> [05]</b> controls would never have been selected as US politician or Presidents for that matter, and ultimately, the world would be in a much better state than it is right now. In fact, there never would have been a C.F.R. if the US governing system was honest and moral. <br /><br />Of course, Joe Biden isn’t alone in his sociopathy as Vicky (the hut) Nuland (Joe’s personal sociopath) has <b><a href="https://odysee.com/@World-United-News:0/20140305---Nuland-Pyatt--leaked-phone-conversation-_COMPLETE-with-SUBTITLES:7" target="_blank">led the destruction of Ukraine from its violent beginning</a> [06]</b> in 2013 to 2016 under Joe Biden as US vice president and from 2021 to today under Joe Biden as the US president. <br /><br />Nuland not only outed herself in full knowledge of <b><a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/tucker-carlson-someone-needs-explain-why-there-dangerous-biological-weapons-ukraine/5773752" target="_blank">US biological labs in Ukraine</a> [07]</b> but also <b><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/570572-nuland-celebrates-nord-stream-blast/" target="_blank">celebrated the destruction of the Nord Stream I & II pipelines</a> [08]</b> in 2022 and today in 2023 is telling her Ukraine regime contacts that Russian military sites in Crimea are <b><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/571614-nuland-crimea-legitimate-targets/" target="_blank">“legitimate targets”</a>[09]</b>, a serious red line that invites a major war between global nuclear powers. <br /><br />Victoria Nuland works for Biden so it won’t be enough for Biden to be the only one removed from power but the whole destructive cell driving war and economic destruction via their proxy war with Russia via Ukraine. They all need to go, and it needs to be done quickly before another irrational decision causes a major incident that takes us all to World War III. Impeachment or a medical decision must be made soon before its too late.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">----------------------------</span><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">LINKS: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">[01] <a href="https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream" target="_blank">How America Took Out the Nord Stream Pipeline</a><br />[02] <a href="https://youtu.be/OS4O8rGRLf8" target="_blank">No More Nord Stream</a><br />[03] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=likS4XyV2bw" target="_blank">Biden Insisting</a><br />[04] <a href="https://odysee.com/@RT:fd/BidenHEALTHY:8" target="_blank">Joe Biden heads out for his medical</a><br />[05] <a href="https://worldunitednews.blogspot.com/2007/07/controlling-council-on-foreign.html" target="_blank">Council on Foreign Relations</a> - 2007<br />[06] <a href="https://odysee.com/@World-United-News:0/20140305---Nuland-Pyatt--leaked-phone-conversation-_COMPLETE-with-SUBTITLES:7" target="_blank">Nuland Pyatt Leaked Phone Call </a> - 2014</span></b><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">[07] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/tucker-carlson-someone-needs-explain-why-there-dangerous-biological-weapons-ukraine/5773752" target="_blank">US biological labs in Ukraine</a><br />[08] <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/570572-nuland-celebrates-nord-stream-blast/" target="_blank">Nuland Celebrates Nord Stream 2 blast</a><br />[09] <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/571614-nuland-crimea-legitimate-targets/" target="_blank">Nuland – Crimea Legitimate Target</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Related: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">[a] <a href="https://worldunitednews.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-last-swing-of-dying-empire.html" target="_blank">The Last Swing of a Dying Empire</a><br />[b] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/undeclared-declaration-war-russia-western-windbags/5781500" target="_blank">The Undeclared Declaration of War on Russia by Western Windbags</a><br />[c] <a href="https://worldunitednews.blogspot.com/2023/02/top-russian-lawmaker-labels-us.html" target="_blank">Top Russian lawmaker labels US president a ‘terrorist’</a><br />[d] <a href="https://worldunitednews.blogspot.com/2014/03/93-of-crimeans-vote-to-join-russia.html" target="_blank">95% of Crimean’s Vote to Join Russia Through National Referendum</a><br />[e] <a href="https://odysee.com/@World-United-News:0/20140304---Target---Ukraine----How-foreign-intervention-is-tearing-the-country-apart:e" target="_blank">Ukraine - How Foreign Intervention is Tearing the Country Apart</a> - (March 4th, 2014) </span><br /><br /></b><br /> </div></div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-18015220084151191192023-02-17T03:45:00.001-05:002023-02-17T03:52:55.819-05:00Washington is fueling Ukraine’s ambitions to attack Russian territory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIo7bSjL_W2Vt7mULe_199molvk_Q5SXm7U5e4--aifkbpHbJ_aDxQIJje2zv0dX7lJPcBX-lR0CqbPNDmXW71fTQ6Ivt6qXvF-7He_O8mDJrENmF7Z9Xvu7rTppRGX2cqolcmRj7lFkSr2iIdEr1J7gBu7D-rzelm1Wy89ZPxVg1nxbkjMLApaPw/s768/20230217%20-%20Russia%20reacts%20to%20US%20%E2%80%98supporting%E2%80%99%20strikes%20on%20Crimea.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIo7bSjL_W2Vt7mULe_199molvk_Q5SXm7U5e4--aifkbpHbJ_aDxQIJje2zv0dX7lJPcBX-lR0CqbPNDmXW71fTQ6Ivt6qXvF-7He_O8mDJrENmF7Z9Xvu7rTppRGX2cqolcmRj7lFkSr2iIdEr1J7gBu7D-rzelm1Wy89ZPxVg1nxbkjMLApaPw/w640-h360/20230217%20-%20Russia%20reacts%20to%20US%20%E2%80%98supporting%E2%80%99%20strikes%20on%20Crimea.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A Russian warship arrives in the port of Sevastopol in Russia’s Crimea. © Sputnik / Russia’s Defense Ministry</i></b></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/571622-crimea-us-nuland-ukraine/" target="_blank">RT</a><br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">The US has again confirmed its direct involvement in the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, the Russian Embassy in Washington has claimed. The statement came after US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said Russian military sites in Crimea were “legitimate targets” for Ukraine, and that her country was “supporting” strikes on them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Nuland “has admitted that the [Biden] administration is fueling the ambitions of the Kiev regime to attack our country,” the Russian Embassy argued in a statement on Friday.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The words of the high-ranking American official were “clear confirmation of Russia’s position that the US is directly involved in the conflict” between Moscow and Kiev, it said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The statement added that Washington is not just using rhetoric but is also taking “concrete actions” by supplying modern weapons and advising Ukrainian military leaders, and that “de facto, they plan operations together.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Citing American and Ukrainian officials, the Washington Post reported last week that Kiev’s forces would not fire a single shot from artillery systems provided by the US without first confirming the coordinates of the target with the Americans.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“Inciting Kiev criminals to attack Crimea is the same as pushing them to attack Moscow or Vladivostok,” the embassy insisted, adding that Russia would defend its territory in any case.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Crimea overwhelmingly voted to reunite with Russia in 2014 after a violent coup in Kiev. Ukraine still views the peninsula as part of its territory, with the US sharing that stance.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In her interview on Thursday with American think tank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Nuland said the US believes that Kiev is “owed and due all of their territory within their international borders,” including Crimea. “Ukraine is not going to be safe unless Crimea is – at a minimum, at a minimum – demilitarized,” she asserted, adding that the Biden administration backed Kiev’s attempts to target the peninsula.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Washington’s support for attacks on Crimea is “an undisguised manifestation of the bellicose attitude of the US towards our country,” the Russian Embassy insisted.</span><br />---------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Related:</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>[01] <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/571614-nuland-crimea-legitimate-targets/" target="_blank">Nuland outlines US goals for Ukraine conflict</a><br />[02] <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/570572-nuland-celebrates-nord-stream-blast/" target="_blank">Top US official hails Nord Stream 2 blast</a><br />[03] <a href="https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream" target="_blank">How America Took Out the Nord Stream Pipeline</a><br />[04] <a href="https://worldunitednews.blogspot.com/2023/02/top-russian-lawmaker-labels-us.html" target="_blank">Top Russian lawmaker labels US president a ‘terrorist’</a><br />[05] <a href="https://worldunitednews.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-last-swing-of-dying-empire.html" target="_blank">The Last Swing of a Dying Empire</a><br />[06] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/undeclared-declaration-war-russia-western-windbags/5781500" target="_blank">The Undeclared Declaration of War on Russia by Western Windbags</a><br />[07] <a href="https://worldunitednews.blogspot.com/2014/03/93-of-crimeans-vote-to-join-russia.html" target="_blank">95 Percent of Crimean's Vote to Join Russia in Referendum</a><br /><br /><br /></b></span>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-27044072743780452542023-02-15T05:54:00.002-05:002023-02-15T05:54:48.437-05:00Biden willing to let Germans freeze – Seymour Hersh<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-dPH66zMq8d1bvHbUIH-ay-7M6we_p2OXnCU_ogaGjfkHhXegkOnHSsET7c5eVNaiikXcEbdN2tQbizzcSpA1LR_zNNtNPjNjb5ecRi64wSRn3u7dTXkJqw6j7TLKv2k4xIkdDM15ls2RjIuOaYWkzzuB8W_F09X_VZd4JuI1JtmABcmcP5R_wP2/s768/20230215%20-%20Biden%20willing%20to%20let%20Germans%20freeze%20%E2%80%93%20Seymour%20Hersh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-dPH66zMq8d1bvHbUIH-ay-7M6we_p2OXnCU_ogaGjfkHhXegkOnHSsET7c5eVNaiikXcEbdN2tQbizzcSpA1LR_zNNtNPjNjb5ecRi64wSRn3u7dTXkJqw6j7TLKv2k4xIkdDM15ls2RjIuOaYWkzzuB8W_F09X_VZd4JuI1JtmABcmcP5R_wP2/w640-h360/20230215%20-%20Biden%20willing%20to%20let%20Germans%20freeze%20%E2%80%93%20Seymour%20Hersh.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh. © Brad Barket / Getty Images via AFP</i></b></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/571502-biden-freeze-germany-nord-stream/" target="_blank">RT</a><br /><br /></b>The US blew up Nord Stream fearing that Berlin would lift sanctions on Russia during a cold winter, the journalist claims<br /><br />The US conducted a covert operation to destroy the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines based on doubts that Germany would stick to a hard line on Russia, renowned American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has alleged. Last week, he published a <a href="https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream" target="_blank"><b>bombshell report</b></a> laying blame on Washington for several blasts that severely damaged the energy conduits in September 2022.<br /><br />In an interview published by the Berliner Zeitung on Tuesday, Hersh suggested that Washington went ahead with the sabotage because the Ukraine conflict “was not going well for the West.” He added that Nord Stream 2 “was put on hold by Germany itself, not international sanctions, and the US was afraid Germany would lift sanctions because of a cold winter.”<br /><br />"The point is that Biden has decided to let the Germans freeze this winter. The President of the United States would rather see Germany freeze than [see] Germany possibly stop supporting Ukraine.<br /><br />According to Hersh, the bombs were planted in June 2022 during NATO naval exercises in the Baltic Sea. “But at the last minute, the White House got nervous. The President said he was afraid to do it. He changed his mind and issued new orders to get an opportunity to remotely detonate the bombs at any time,” he noted.<br /><br />Explaining possible motives for the attacks, Hersh suggested that some people in the US thought that the operation was going “to give the American economy a long-term boost,” while the White House was more focused on politics. “I think they've always been obsessed with re-election, and they wanted to win the war… they wanted Ukraine to somehow magically win,” he said.<br /><br />Nord Stream 1 and 2, which connected Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea, were damaged in a series of underwater explosions on September 26. On February 8, Hersh, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, released a report blaming the US for the attack. The White House dismissed the allegation as “utterly false and complete fiction.”<br /><br />However, in early February 2022, some two weeks before the Ukraine conflict began, Biden stated at a press conference with Germany’s chancellor that “if Russia invades… we will bring an end” to Nord Stream 2.<br /><br />In the aftermath of the report, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov called for “an open international investigation into this unprecedented attack,” saying that instead, Russia is witnessing “attempts to silently wind down” such probes.</span><br />------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">LINKS:</span></b><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream" target="_blank">How America Took Out the Nord Stream Pipeline</a></span><br /><br /></b><br /> <br /><br />Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-21363641323289939942023-02-14T05:51:00.000-05:002023-02-14T05:51:19.411-05:00Russia to reroute oil exports to ‘friendly’ states<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenghWLcJFOulGRFuUBdsyPlocdtdef4GUbwPPh4apgvLdQWCOO7EbDRGtBzFEFZZCxi8OyQh4b1SOiCy9XRxKSJcERnr0c1YwbXWoGNYDxxnXHtooHK9aEQiY9Ukb9H-azqwcljthj42pP1se0OH24-4RCQM31JptUklw50J6JmMN3Et9MmOtQg_R/s768/20230214%20-%20Russia%20to%20reroute%20oil%20exports%20to%20%E2%80%98friendly%E2%80%99%20states%20%E2%80%93%20official.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenghWLcJFOulGRFuUBdsyPlocdtdef4GUbwPPh4apgvLdQWCOO7EbDRGtBzFEFZZCxi8OyQh4b1SOiCy9XRxKSJcERnr0c1YwbXWoGNYDxxnXHtooHK9aEQiY9Ukb9H-azqwcljthj42pP1se0OH24-4RCQM31JptUklw50J6JmMN3Et9MmOtQg_R/w640-h360/20230214%20-%20Russia%20to%20reroute%20oil%20exports%20to%20%E2%80%98friendly%E2%80%99%20states%20%E2%80%93%20official.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>© Getty Images / Nicholas Prylutskyy / EyeEm</b></i></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/571403-russia-oil-exports-friendly-states/" target="_blank">RT</a></b></span><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Energy supplies will not go to countries that support price caps, Deputy PM Novak has said </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Russia intends to shift the exports of its oil and petroleum products to ‘friendly’ countries this year, increasing their share in total supplies shipped abroad to 75-80%, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak has revealed. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“As for supplies to states that maintain illegitimate price restrictions, our position here is widely known and remains unchanged: such countries will not receive Russian oil,” Novak wrote in an article for the magazine Energy Policy on Monday. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">He noted that oil production in Russia amounted to 535.2 million tons in 2022, which is 2% more than in the previous year. Oil exports increased by 7.6%, to 242 million tons, Novak wrote. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The deputy PM also noted that last year, in order to reorient Russian oil supply to friendly countries, a project was implemented to increase transportation via the major eastern port of Kozmino. As a result, deliveries to the countries in the Asia-Pacific region rose to 42 million tons per year. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Moscow has been diversifying its energy supplies in response to Western sanctions. The EU’s ban on Russian refined petroleum products, which came into force on February 5, set a price limit of $100 per barrel for diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline from Russia, and a $45-per-barrel cap for other oil products that trade below the crude price, such as fuel oil used in industry. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The price caps, together with an EU ban on imports of Russian oil products, are part of a broader agreement among the G7 countries. It follows a $60-per-barrel cap on Russian crude that the G7 along with the EU and Australia imposed on December 5. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The measures prohibit Western companies from financing, insuring, trading, brokering, or carrying cargoes of Russian crude and oil products unless they were bought at or below the set price caps. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Moscow has opposed any attempts to cap the prices of its energy exports. The Russian government has banned crude sales to buyers that mention the price ceiling in their contracts, and a similar restriction is expected to be introduced in response to the EU’s latest cap on oil products. </span><br />----------------------------<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Related: </span></b><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/571128-iran-shipping-sanctioned-russian-oil/" target="_blank">Iran’s ‘ghost fleet’ shipping sanctioned Russian oil</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/571402-russia-boosts-gas-supply-china/" target="_blank">Russia boosts gas supply to China</a><br /></span><br /></b><br /> </div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-56405440088078316112023-02-09T05:55:00.003-05:002023-02-09T05:55:47.260-05:00Top Russian lawmaker labels US president a ‘terrorist’<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFa5_gMGDP0Pf3JIfh2YCO-v87W9belgwHDElLgWeuN3os7YQCK2NnsY504KISGBzpPQdV4pLxvdPSVnz750RkTzYbYIh-ALR933atw8cRUYiP-nFeKo6IA7-2-_v0k3qXUEyq_6-84sCBhIPLVwRMJlcN3BT3In02C5KM7TWLJevalJDgVcklhX20/s768/20230209%20-%20Top%20Russian%20lawmaker%20labels%20US%20president%20a%20%E2%80%98terrorist%E2%80%99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFa5_gMGDP0Pf3JIfh2YCO-v87W9belgwHDElLgWeuN3os7YQCK2NnsY504KISGBzpPQdV4pLxvdPSVnz750RkTzYbYIh-ALR933atw8cRUYiP-nFeKo6IA7-2-_v0k3qXUEyq_6-84sCBhIPLVwRMJlcN3BT3In02C5KM7TWLJevalJDgVcklhX20/w640-h360/20230209%20-%20Top%20Russian%20lawmaker%20labels%20US%20president%20a%20%E2%80%98terrorist%E2%80%99.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address © AFP / Andrew Caballero-Reynolds</i></b></div></b><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/571210-biden-volodin-nord-stream/" target="_blank">RT</a></b><br /><br />Joe Biden has earned the title by ordering the destruction of Europe’s energy infrastructure, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin claims <br /><br />Speaker of the Russian parliament Vyacheslav Volodin has branded US President Joe Biden a “terrorist” after a report by iconic American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh blamed Washington for sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines last year. <br /><br />Volodin said on Thursday that Biden’s State of the Union address, in which he claimed that the US was “a nation that stands as a beacon to the world,” reminded him of “statements by the leaders of the Third Reich.” <br /><br />The ramifications of this “ideology of exceptionalism” were uncovered in the investigation by Hersh, the Russian MP wrote in a post on Telegram. <br /><br />The State Duma speaker was referring to a report published by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist on Wednesday, in which he claimed that the US was behind the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines last September. According to an informed source who talked to Hersh, explosives were planted at the key pipelines in the Baltic Sea back in June 2022 by US Navy divers under the guise of a NATO exercise. They were later detonated remotely. <br /><br />Nord Stream 1 and 2 had been important routes for the delivery of Russian gas to Europe through Germany. <br /><br />“If [Harry S.] Truman became a criminal, who used nuclear weapons against civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then Biden became a terrorist, who ordered the destruction of the energy infrastructure of his strategic partners: Germany, France, the Netherlands,” Volodin said. <br /><br />The sabotage of the pipelines by the Americans was “an act of intimidation of its vassals, who decided to develop their economy in the interests of their own citizens,” he wrote. <br /><br />The revelations by Hersh should be grounds for an international investigation to “bring Biden and his accomplices to justice,” and to make sure that the nations affected by this “terrorist attack” are paid compensation, Volodin added. <br /><br />The Biden administration has denied the report by Hersh, with the National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson calling it “utterly false and complete fiction.” <br /><br />The Russian authorities have for months been pointing to the fact that the only side that benefited from Nord Stream being rendered inoperable was the US, which saw its supplies of liquified natural gas to Europe increase massively following the sabotage. </span><br />----------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Related </span></b><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">[01] <a href="https://worldunitednews.blogspot.com/2023/02/us-behind-nord-stream-sabotage-seymour.html" target="_blank">US Behind Nord Stream Sabotage – Seymour Hersh</a><br />[02] <a href="https://worldunitednews.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-last-swing-of-dying-empire.html" target="_blank">The Last Swing of a Dying Empire</a><br />[03] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/undeclared-declaration-war-russia-western-windbags/5781500" target="_blank">The Undeclared Declaration of War on Russia By Western Windbags</a><br />[04] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-price-of-oil-and-gas-skyrockets-massive-economic-collapse-of-europe-the-us-and-the-world/5773540" target="_blank">Ukraine - Europe, Energy Supplies & Economic Collapse </a><br />[05] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/energy-crisis-ticking-time-bomb/5804851" target="_blank">Energy Crisis – A Ticking Time Bomb</a></span><br /><br /></b><br /> </div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-90654733404323055142023-02-08T17:48:00.004-05:002023-02-15T06:00:53.899-05:00US behind Nord Stream sabotage - Seymour Hersh <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianUMpGzsxmQLM43NlRi5Bo8gXIAqrG-nxPQyc4TCWPkR6kH6dJBOjajAR2On_AjpIRLsjjyubdMfsuVOi5liEDzE8H9kSJ91_x0U1MYo43wgzpaEWTjw82cPhbuOBlUq4V1fxLavhfaRT4xXh60Lzj7n_wE4LE46BETnoaPwXd9G2r579gPgJ5_Oi/s768/20230208%20%E2%80%93%20US%20behind%20Nord%20Stream%20sabotage%20%E2%80%93%20legendary%20NYT%20journalist.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianUMpGzsxmQLM43NlRi5Bo8gXIAqrG-nxPQyc4TCWPkR6kH6dJBOjajAR2On_AjpIRLsjjyubdMfsuVOi5liEDzE8H9kSJ91_x0U1MYo43wgzpaEWTjw82cPhbuOBlUq4V1fxLavhfaRT4xXh60Lzj7n_wE4LE46BETnoaPwXd9G2r579gPgJ5_Oi/w640-h360/20230208%20%E2%80%93%20US%20behind%20Nord%20Stream%20sabotage%20%E2%80%93%20legendary%20NYT%20journalist.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><b><i>FILE PHOTO. The release of gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea on September 28, 2022 in At Sea. © Swedish Coast Guard via Getty Images </i></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/571173-hersh-us-nord-stream/" target="_blank">RT</a></b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Washington “took out” the Russian gas pipelines, Seymour Hersh has claimed </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed last September by the US in a covert operation, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has claimed. The legendary reporter made the bombshell revelation in an <a href="https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream" target="_blank">article</a> posted to his newly launched blog on Substack on Wednesday. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The explosives were planted at the pipelines back in June 2022 by US Navy divers under the guise of the BALTOPS 22 NATO exercise, Hersh reported, citing a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The journalist noted that he had reached out to the White House and CIA for comment, with both firmly rejecting the claim that the US “took out” the pipelines as “utterly false.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The bombs were detonated three months later on September 26 with a remote signal sent by a sonar buoy. The buoy was dropped near the Nord Stream pipelines by a Norwegian Navy P8 surveillance plane, according to the report. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The operation came to fruition following months of back-and-forth between the White House, CIA, and military, with officials focusing on how to leave no trace of US involvement in the attack. The planning process began back in December 2021, when a special task force was created with the direct participation of US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“The Navy proposed using a newly commissioned submarine to assault the pipeline directly. The Air Force discussed dropping bombs with delayed fuses that could be set off remotely. The CIA argued that whatever was done, it would have to be covert. Everyone involved understood the stakes,” the report read. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The source told Hersh that everybody involved understood the operation was not some “kiddie stuff” but was actually an “an act of war.” Throughout “all of this scheming” certain officials urged the White House to drop the idea entirely. “Some working guys in the CIA and the State Department were saying, ‘Don’t do this. It’s stupid and will be a political nightmare if it comes out,’” according to the source. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Originally, the explosives were to have a 48-hour timer and were set to be planted by the end of BALTOPS22, Hersh reported, citing the same source. The two-day window, however, was ultimately deemed to be too close to the end of the exercise by the White House, which ordered the task force to come up with an on-demand method of detonating them. This ultimately turned out to be the sonar buoy. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The administration of President Joe Biden has been “focused” on jeopardizing the Nord Stream pipelines – initially through sanctions, and, ultimately, by direct sabotage – seeing it as key to swaying Europe to its cause amid the then-looming conflict in Ukraine, Hersh noted. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">“As long as Europe remained dependent on the pipelines for cheap natural gas, Washington was afraid that countries like Germany would be reluctant to supply Ukraine with the money and weapons it needed to defeat Russia,” he wrote. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Moscow provided a similar take on the incident shortly after the blasts, branding them a “terrorist attack” and stating that the US was the nation that benefited most from it, by accelerating Europe’s attempts to wean itself off of Russian gas. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Throughout his career, Hersh has reported on numerous explosive stories, including war crimes by the US military and high-profile political scandals. Exposing the My Lai massacre by US troops in Vietnam scored the journalist the Pulitzer Prize in 1970. Other notable stories Hersh reported on include the Watergate scandal, the CIA illegal domestic spying, as well as the American military's torture and abuse of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. </span><br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<div><b><span style="font-size: large;">LINK:</span></b></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream" target="_blank">How America Took Out the Nord Stream Pipeline</a><br /></b></span><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Related </span></b><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">[01] <a href="https://worldunitednews.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-last-swing-of-dying-empire.html" target="_blank">The Last Swing of a Dying Empire</a></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">[02] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/undeclared-declaration-war-russia-western-windbags/5781500" target="_blank">The Undeclared Declaration of War on Russia By Western Windbags</a></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">[03] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-price-of-oil-and-gas-skyrockets-massive-economic-collapse-of-europe-the-us-and-the-world/5773540" target="_blank">Ukraine - Europe, Energy Supplies & Economic Collapse </a></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">[04] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/energy-crisis-ticking-time-bomb/5804851" target="_blank">Energy Crisis – A Ticking Time Bomb</a></span></b><br /><br /><br /> </div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-12898604078420141302023-01-22T20:58:00.000-05:002023-01-22T20:58:04.800-05:00The Last Swing of a Dying Empire<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWP67wIfq-hcQ4vOddDimZYkkLVOsAUQfGXScvojTY2B9OQQd6f-pjhlUk4_lJ3akBe2FB-nbEB7KG06j7nDNDRfGjqkZuNKJYuqUkRSVjpgAxHVsU4vGNTZxtDVW8b2L1hWE6mcZWA5mIxFBsq-1GazxF0Un0A9t5pzWI-G4SoM4Yo7UW8HPcxZj/s1920/20230121%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Last%20Swing%20of%20a%20Decaying%20Empire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWP67wIfq-hcQ4vOddDimZYkkLVOsAUQfGXScvojTY2B9OQQd6f-pjhlUk4_lJ3akBe2FB-nbEB7KG06j7nDNDRfGjqkZuNKJYuqUkRSVjpgAxHVsU4vGNTZxtDVW8b2L1hWE6mcZWA5mIxFBsq-1GazxF0Un0A9t5pzWI-G4SoM4Yo7UW8HPcxZj/w640-h360/20230121%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Last%20Swing%20of%20a%20Decaying%20Empire.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b style="font-size: large;"><i>By: Stewart Brennan</i></b></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Although many already seem to know that a financial collapse is imminent, some may not know or see the whole picture due to the dystopian hysteria and blinding lies emanating from the wall of western mediums, governments and think tanks; a sickening noise with its roots in the lunatic asylums of the United States government. <br /><br />To give a brief overview as to what the driving force of economic destruction is in the world as opposed to the insanity being echoed by our pathetic governments and mainstream media, (Tucker Carlson of FOX news seemingly being the exception), I will sum it up with a few brief points. <br /><br />1. US Economic Growth & Consolidation <br />2. US Energy Demand <br />3. US Dollar Expansion <br />4. US Military Growth <br />5. US Corporate & Military Government <br />6. US Empire (800+ Military Bases) <br />7. US Wars, Coups and Sanctions <br />8. US Global Economic Dictatorship <br />9. US Economic Wars Against Powerful Nations <br />10. US Global Power Decline <br />11. US Unpayable Debt <br />12. US Empire Collapse and / or Global War </span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Ukraine </span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Right now, as most informed people know, Ukraine is the battlefield being used in a proxy war between US led NATO and Russia. A war in which Russia is going to win. <br /><br />I know, I know, your government and news reports say that Russia is losing and that a united NATO helping Ukraine will certainly beat Russia. However, if one is bold and adventurous enough to look for the censored alternative sources that are not affiliated with the western propaganda mediums, then an entirely different picture unfolds which shows a completely different story. <b>(For alternatives to the noise, See</b> <b><a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/" target="_blank">Global Research</a> [01] <a href="https://consortiumnews.com/" target="_blank">Consortium News</a> [02] <a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/" target="_blank">Mint Press News</a> [03] <a href="https://journal-neo.org/" target="_blank">New Eastern Outlook</a> [04] and <a href="https://off-guardian.org/" target="_blank">Off Guardian</a> [05]) </b><br /><br />Further investigation through the many interviews of the Ukrainian people affected by the US proxy war conducted by investigative reporters <b>ON THE GROUND</b> in the Donbas region of Ukraine / Russia also tells a different story than western mainstream news. <b>(See <a href="https://odysee.com/@patricklancaster:e" target="_blank">Patrick Lancaster</a> [06] <a href="https://t.me/s/neuesausrussland" target="_blank">Alina Lipp</a> [07] and <a href="https://ingaza.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Eva Bartlett</a> [08])</b> And so the alternative circles that discuss these topics from a position of greater knowledge, offer a more rounded view on which to form your opinions. <b>(See <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDuran" target="_blank">The Duran</a> [09], <a href="https://thesaker.is/" target="_blank">The Saker</a> [10] <a href="https://southfront.org/" target="_blank">Southfront</a> [11] and <a href="https://21stcenturywire.com/" target="_blank">21st Century Wire</a> [12]) </b><br /><br />Without a clear uncensored picture, no one can truly make a sound decision unless presented with all the facts, right? Unless of course you’ve done a 360-degree research and dared to read and listen to what the west is censoring. Common sense and critical thinking can then connect the dots to a realistic picture which is much more palatable to what mainstream medias are reporting. <br /><br />The United States and NATO, an organization filled with European vassal states controlled and occupied by the American economic system, who are driving a massive sanctions war on Russia, are currently in meltdown mode in the knowledge that they are losing the war in Ukraine. <br /><br />The U.S. led energy sanctions war that NATO countries are driving on Russia has backfired on them bigtime, and so the economic destruction of Europe is now underway as the US has forced all EU and NATO nations to impose sanctions on Russia or face economic consequences. <br /><br />As the world falls into economic collapse due to the massive disruption in economic supply lines that the energy sanctions cause, Europe leads the way as there is no replacement for Russian Gas and oil, the energy which powers economics. <br /><br />The destruction of the Nord Stream one and two gas pipelines from Russia to Germany by the west was a terrorist attack and the US government's exclamation point to Germany and to anyone else in Europe that dares to defy the American economic policy. <br /><br />Germany was once the economic powerhouse of Europe, but not anymore as their economy is now heading for total collapse without a cheap supply of gas and oil. </span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Occupied Germany </span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Since the end of World War II, the United States has occupied Germany and never left. In doing so, the U.S. Government has had the final say on every geo-political and geo-economic trend in the country. I suppose it would be considered foolish or unwise for an occupied country to think about any type of independence, especially when tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers occupy their nation. But then, Germany seemed to have its own independent economic decision making, which made it the power-horse of the European Union…that is until the US government disapproved of Germany’s growing energy and economic ties with Russia. <br /><br />What little independence that German business leaders made over the past few decades has been destroyed by U.S. policy. Today, destruction of the German economy is almost complete due to the sanctions on Russia that Joe Biden said that the Americans <b>“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=likS4XyV2bw" target="_blank">Insisted</a>” [13]</b> their European vassals implement on Russia. No doubt there were a few threats to occupied Germany and then came the destruction of the Nord Stream one and two pipelines which<b> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8YC7UQVmis" target="_blank">Biden promised would be destroyed</a> [14]</b> during a press conference with the German chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington on Feb 07th, 2022.<br /><br />Where has U.S. occupation brought Germany today? There is a massive contraction in their economic viability which means they will most likely be consumed into the American maw of economic consolidation and dictatorship with no way out but a popular revolution from the German people. <br /><br />The same situation is playing out right across Europe as the US drags the entire block of nations down with them into the economic abyss and possible war with Russia. </span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Energy Shift</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Russia is the largest energy producer in the world so forcing Europe and the world to not buy Russian energy creates upheaval throughout the global economy. Nations are faced with an economic ultimatum; <b>[A]</b> economic disaster if they follow the American government dictates due to loss of energy streams to feed their economies or <b>[B]</b> economic sanctions by the United States government if they do not obey. <br /><br />Those who obey are given a front row seat on the American road to collapse as the high cost of energy and soaring inflation go hand in hand with soaring U.S. dictatorship and debt. <br /><br />Although in the past, refusing an American government dictate would prove perilous due to U.S. military dominance, it is not the case today, as many nations are seeing an alternative option for economic viability and protection as Russia and China stand up against U.S. global economic dictatorship. Russia and China are not only standing up against the Americans, they are much stronger together. The Russians are much more advanced and years ahead of the Americans in the military sphere, while China has become the anvil of industry with advanced technology, telecommunications, and business sense. <br /><br />Russia’s <b>SARMAT ICBM’s</b>, their <b>hypersonic missiles</b>, and <b>S-500 missile defense systems</b> are far superior than the older outdated American weapons, while the Chinese have emerged as an advanced technological nation that has checkmated the US economic model of parasitism. <br /><br />Seeing this new option, nations around the world have made their decisions to survive economically and defy US sanction dictates on Russian energy, with the exception of Europe, the U.K. and the commonwealth of nations it seems, who’ve decided that riding on the American road to collapse would be great fun. <br /><br />In essence, the world is no longer a unipolar American World Order but a multipolar world where two economic spheres are now present. <b>{A}</b> The US and all its NATO vassal’s trading in U.S. dollars, and <b>{B}</b> the rapidly growing B.R.I.C.S. sphere (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) that has a number of new applicants already trading with each other in their own currencies. <br /><br />Now that Saudi Arabia is going to sell its oil to China <b><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/570056-saudi-arabia-dump-dollar-trade/" target="_blank">in China’s own currency</a> [15]</b> instead of U.S. dollars, the momentum of excluding the U.S. dollar in business transactions between nations is quickly expanding. Panic is unfolding, as the NATO nations under the US economic yoke have been trying to drum up more weapons for Ukraine during the 2023 World Economic Forum Meeting in Davos Switzerland. It seems that they believe that if they pull together and drive Russia to defeat in Ukraine, they will somehow solve their energy and economic problems. <br /><br />There is no doubt that momentum in global economics, which relies on oil and gas energy, has shifted away from the U.S.A. and you can also be sure that the more wounded the U.S. government gets, the more vicious it will become. <br /><br />Although the economic downturn with its soaring inflation and high cost of energy have begun to light the fires of rebellion across Europe, the European governments seem to be focused on winning a losing war in Ukraine rather than focusing on the well being of their own people. Three years of totalitarian mandates with a brutal enforcement of them should have convinced people in NATO countries that their governments really care for them…right?<br /><br />The solution for the European leaders is actually quite simple, but they seem to be hypnotized into committing economic suicide with the United States and destroying their own nations, when all they need to do is to stop following U.S. dictates and look to their own economic survival. After all, Europe does not need the U.S. to supply them with oil and gas if they can forge their own foreign policy and make deals with the oil producing nations next door, such as Russia, Iran and the many other oil and gas producers in the region where more than 72% of the worlds recoverable oil is. <br /><br />However, if the E.U. countries continue to obey American dictates, well, there won’t be any hope for economic relief anytime soon, if ever…and the longer they take to do the right thing, the more damage they will do to their own nations. <br /><br />Soon, Russia will win the war in Ukraine while European borders will be flooded with additional economic refugees (already the case) which of course adds an additional burden to their already collapsing social programs, healthcare and economies. <br /><br />What will the NATO nations do if the economically wounded American animal who controls NATO decides they will make their war in Ukraine against Russia their final military stand? Europe just gave away a bulk of their weapons to Ukraine and don’t have the ability to defend themselves…The panic and anxiety around this very question is now spreading amongst the most vocal <b><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/570301-polish-premier-germany-tanks-ukraine/" target="_blank">antagonists</a> [16]</b>. </span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">LINKS: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">[01] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/" target="_blank">Global Research</a><br />[02] <a href="https://consortiumnews.com/" target="_blank">Consortium News</a><br />[03] <a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/" target="_blank">Mint Press News</a><br />[04] <a href="https://journal-neo.org/" target="_blank">New Eastern Outlook</a><br />[05] <a href="https://off-guardian.org/" target="_blank">Off Guardian</a><br />[06] Investigative Journalist – <a href="https://odysee.com/@patricklancaster:e" target="_blank">Patrick Lancaster</a><br />[07] Investigative Journalist – <a href="https://t.me/s/neuesausrussland" target="_blank">Alina Lipp</a><br />[08] Investigative Journalist - <a href="https://ingaza.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Eva Bartlett</a><br />[09] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDuran" target="_blank">The Duran</a><br />[10] <a href="https://thesaker.is/" target="_blank">The Saker</a><br />[11] <a href="https://southfront.org/" target="_blank">Southfront</a><br />[12] <a href="https://21stcenturywire.com/" target="_blank">21st Century Wire</a><br />[13] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=likS4XyV2bw" target="_blank">VP Joe Biden insisting EU impose sanctions on Russia</a> (2014 - Oct 3rd) <br />[14] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8YC7UQVmis" target="_blank">Biden pledges end to Nord Stream 2 if Russia invades Ukraine</a> - (2022 Feb 7th)<br />[15] <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/570056-saudi-arabia-dump-dollar-trade/" target="_blank">Saudi Arabia ready to ditch dollar in trade – Finance Minister</a><br />[16] <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/570301-polish-premier-germany-tanks-ukraine/" target="_blank">Poland threatens ‘coalition’ to overcome German stance on tanks – PM</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Additional Links: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">[A]<a href="https://www.presstv.ir/" target="_blank">Press TV - Iran</a><br />[B] <a href="https://www.rt.com/" target="_blank">Russia Today</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">RELATED:</span><br /></b><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />[AA] <a href="https://odysee.com/@RT:fd/Blinken-nord-stream:b" target="_blank">Blinken - Nord Stream sabotage ‘a tremendous opportunity’</a><br />[BB] <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/570274-germany-energy-crunch-russia/" target="_blank">Germany’s Energy Crunch Explained</a><br />[CC] <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/570282-russian-parliament-chair-warns-west/" target="_blank">Moscow warns West of ‘global tragedy’</a><br />[DD] <a href="https://odysee.com/@RT:fd/hypersonic-missiles:2" target="_blank">Russian Hypersonic Missiles enter Combat Duty</a><br />[EE] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/undeclared-declaration-war-russia-western-windbags/5781500" target="_blank">The Undeclared Declaration of War on Russia By Western Windbags</a><br />[FF] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-price-of-oil-and-gas-skyrockets-massive-economic-collapse-of-europe-the-us-and-the-world/5773540" target="_blank">Ukraine - Europe, Energy Supplies & Economic Collapse </a><br />[GG] <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/energy-crisis-ticking-time-bomb/5804851" target="_blank">Energy Crisis – A Ticking Time Bomb</a><br /></span><br /><br /></b><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><br /></div></div>Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172672010673572083.post-82906137601755882442023-01-19T05:52:00.000-05:002023-01-19T05:52:39.401-05:00Ex-Russian president explains why Moscow can’t lose in Ukraine<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNMdjxOWLdWWVW4y1n_oidi1Sc3L5ovmElv1K98cO0VmZtAtlVaELFESUX5QGPJDTTmPzLaeQWmLZqCxPACXS1eU4-jTE0JlfEaTKiHlREHNVAXGqsNJJ853UhJXkzDIRMN8SuI1WQUsYtezlW8A6qh4Tf5sM3aEXsSVj9ehndsYH-WCKeow8QOpA/s768/20230119%20-%20Ex-Russian%20president%20explains%20why%20Moscow%20can%E2%80%99t%20lose%20in%20Ukraine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNMdjxOWLdWWVW4y1n_oidi1Sc3L5ovmElv1K98cO0VmZtAtlVaELFESUX5QGPJDTTmPzLaeQWmLZqCxPACXS1eU4-jTE0JlfEaTKiHlREHNVAXGqsNJJ853UhJXkzDIRMN8SuI1WQUsYtezlW8A6qh4Tf5sM3aEXsSVj9ehndsYH-WCKeow8QOpA/w640-h360/20230119%20-%20Ex-Russian%20president%20explains%20why%20Moscow%20can%E2%80%99t%20lose%20in%20Ukraine.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>FILE PHOTO. Dmitry Medvedev. © Sputnik / Ekaterina Shtukina</i></b></div></b><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/570118-medvedev-nuclear-escalation-ukraine/" target="_blank">RT</a></b><br /><br />Nuclear nations have never lost when their fates were at stake, Dmitry Medvedev has warned <br /><br />Nations that are demanding Russia’s defeat in Ukraine seem to be oblivious to the fact that such an outcome could result in a nuclear escalation, the former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev has pointed out. <br /><br />Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, reiterated the warning ahead of a meeting on Friday of Ukraine’s military donors at the Ramstein US air base in Germany. He lashed out at Western politicians advocating a loss in the conflict for Russia as the only possible option in Ukraine. <br /><br />“Not one of those morons is apparently willing to make the next logical step: a loss by a nuclear power in a conventional war may trigger the start of a nuclear war. Nuclear powers never lost a major conflict on which their fate depended,” he said on social media on Thursday. <br /><br />The Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki is among those who support sending as many arms as possible to Kiev. He claimed this week that “the defeat of Ukraine may become a prelude to World War III, so today there is no reason to block support for Kiev and postpone matters indefinitely.” <br /><br />A nuclear escalation was cited by some Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden, as a scenario they want to avoid by restricting their involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. They have also warned Moscow against deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine, stating that this would be considered a major provocation. <br /><br />The Russian military doctrine allows the use of such weapons of ultimate resort either in retaliation for an attack against Russia or its allies with weapons of mass destruction, or during a conventional conflict that puts the Russian statehood at significant risk. <br /><br />Moscow considers the situation in Ukraine to be a proxy war waged against it by the US and its allies. Their goal is to hurt Russia as much as possible, which is why they are prolonging the hostilities by arming Kiev and forbidding it from pursuing a negotiated settlement, senior Russian officials have assessed. <br /><br />Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that his government would not hesitate to use all means at its disposal. </span><br />------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">RELATED:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">[01] <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/569966-poland-germany-ukraine-tanks/" target="_blank">Ukraine’s defeat may lead to WWIII – EU state's PM </a><br />[02] <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/570110-uk-armored-vehicles-ukraine/" target="_blank">UK to ‘go further’ in support for Ukraine </a><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/570110-uk-armored-vehicles-ukraine/" target="_blank"><br /></a>[03] <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/569949-nato-tanks-ukraine-kremlin/" target="_blank">NATO tanks ‘will burn’ – Kremlin</a><br />[04] <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/570109-us-terrorist-acts-russia/" target="_blank">US encouraging terrorist acts against Russia – ambassador</a><br />[05] <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/570108-us-ukraine-crimea-strikes/" target="_blank">US may assist Ukrainian strikes on Crimea – NYT</a><br /></span><br /><br /></b><br /> Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530411204211826030noreply@blogger.com0