The world has entered the long period of turbulence and changes that will eventually result in a multi-polar world order without hegemony of the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club.
During the discussion, the Russian president spoke about Russia’s role in global development, dialogue with West, crisis in the global sports, Ukrainian reconciliation, relations with China and India.
New world order
The world is witnessing the formation of a completely new world order, nothing like we had in the past, such as the Westphalian or Yalta systems:
“New powers are rising. Nations are becoming more and more aware of their interests, their value, uniqueness and identity, and are increasingly insistent on pursuing the goals of development and justice. At the same time, societies are confronted with a multitude of new challenges, from exciting technological changes to catastrophic natural disasters, from outrageous social division to massive migration waves and acute economic crises.”
Judging by the dynamics of the ongoing global processes, the next two decades of human history may be even more tough than the past 20 years:
“Experts talk about the threat of new regional conflicts, global epidemics, about complex and controversial ethical aspects of interaction between humans and artificial intelligence, about how traditions and progress reconcile with each other.”
The world is moving not so much towards a polycentric shape, but to a “polyphonic” arrangement “where all voices should be heard.”
“Those who are in the habit of performing solo and who wish to perform exclusively solo further on will have to get used to the new world score. There should not be a situation where the model of one country or a relatively small part of humanity is taken as something universal and imposed on everyone else.”
Russia as a guarantor of successful development
No decisions by self-styled bosses in Washington and Brussels can change the hard fact that the world needs Russia.
“The crux of the matter is the realities in which we live and in which Russia exists. The world needs Russia. No decisions by either Washington or Brussels’ self-styled bosses can change this.”
Russia does not perceive Western civilisation as an enemy and never promotes in its policy the “either us or them” or “whoever is not with us is against us” principles. Besides, Russia does not seek to teach anyone lessons or “impose its mindset on anyone.”
“It should be clear to everyone: It is useless to put pressure on us. But we are always ready to negotiate if there is full consideration of mutual legitimate interests. This is what we have called and are still calling on all participants in international communication to do.”
“Russia has more than once stopped those who were pressing for world domination, whoever were doing that, and it will continue to do so.”
West’s ‘geopolitical greed’
The West’s “unprecedented geopolitical greed” is the true reason behind recent global conflicts from Yugoslavia to Ukraine.
“The West, in pursuit of its interests, misinterpreted what it considered to be the outcome of the Cold War and began to reshape the world to its liking. Its unapologetic and unprecedented geopolitical greed is the true origin of conflicts, starting from the tragedy of Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya. And today it’s Ukraine and the Middle East.”
According to Putin, once Washington and other Western capitals accept Moscow’s position, “think it over and recognise the indisputable fact” that hegemony is unacceptable in the new world order,” “the emergence of a new world system, which will be in line with the challenges of the future, will finally enter the stage of real creativity.”
“The trouble is that this essentially racist ideology has taken root in many minds, and this is also a serious mental obstacle to universal harmonious development.”
“Sooner or later the West will realise this because its former great achievements have always been based on a pragmatic, sober approach based on a very harsh, sometimes cynical, but rational assessment of what is happening and on its own capabilities.”
Ukrainian reconciliation
The West has brought the situation to a coup in Ukraine and forced Russia to begin the special military operation. In this sense, it achieved its goal:
“Our opponents find new ways, instruments, trying to get rid of us. Now, they use Ukraine as such instrument, they use Ukrainians, whom they shamelessly drill against Russians, effectively turning them into cannon fodder.”
“Kiev received orders from overseas to hold the ground in Russia’s Kursk Region at all costs until the US presidential election. As a result, Kiev lost over 30,000 troops over more than three months of hostilities – “more than the Kiev regime’s total losses during the entire year of 2023.”
Good-neighbourly relations between Russia and Ukraine are impossible without Kiev’s neutrality. This is the main precondition to make sure that Ukraine does not become an instrument in someone else’s hands:
“The basic preconditions for the normalisation of relations will not be established, and the situation would unfold by an unpredictable scenario. We would very much like to avoid it.”
The border between Ukraine and Russia should run along the line determined by the sovereign decision of the residents of Donbass and Novorossiya who joined Russia following the results of the referendum:
“Everything depends on the dynamics of the ongoing events.”
Moscow is ready for peace talks on Ukraine, based not on Kiev’s “wish lists that change from month to month but on the situation on the ground and the agreements that were reached in Istanbul.”
Ukraine needs not a temporary truce, but a long-term settlement, which is crucial for the two brotherly peoples:
“It should not be about a truce for half an hour or six months, just for shells to be delivered there. We should create favourable conditions for restoring relations and future cooperation in the interests of the two peoples, which are certainly brotherly, no matter how much the situation has been complicated by rhetoric and today’s tragic events.”
Relations with US and congratulations to Trump
Putin congratulated Donald Trump on becoming the US president-elect:
“I have already said that we will work with any head of state who is trusted by the American people.”
“What has been said publicly so far, what has been said about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to contribute to the end of the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, it deserves at least attention.”
Trump is unlikely to offer Moscow an alliance against Beijing:
“That would look absolutely unrealistic with regard to China, with which we have reached an unprecedentedly high level of trust, cooperation and friendship.”
Cooperation with China and India
The level of trust between Russia and China is at the highest point in modern history.
According to the president, his friendly relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping are “a very good pledge for the development of interstate relations,” and relations between Russia and China are of an unprecedented high character, based on mutual trust, “which we lack in our relations with other countries, first of all with the Western ones.”
Beijing pursues an absolutely balanced policy and is an ally of Moscow:
“Our cooperation with China in general, and military and defence cooperation in particular, is aimed at reinforcing our security and is not directed against third countries.”
India deserves being included into the list of global superpowers, “with its billion-and-a-half population, the fastest growth among all economies in the world, ancient culture and very good prospects for further growth.”
“We are developing relations with India in all directions. India is a great country, now the largest in terms of population: 1.5 billion people, plus 10 million every year. It leads the world in economic growth: 7.4 per cent GDP growth per year. Our vision of where and at what pace our relations will develop is based on today’s realities. The volume of our cooperation is increasing many times over, every year.”
“Our contacts in the security sphere, in the defence sphere, are developing. Look at how many types of Russian military equipment are in service with the Indian armed forces. There is a great degree of trust in this relationship. We don’t just sell our weapons to India; we design them jointly.”
BRICS prospects
BRICS is a prototype of the modern, “free and non-bloc nature of relations between states and peoples.”
“And we are convinced that BRICS is serving as a very good example of truly constructive cooperation under new global circumstances.”
“This (the freedom and non-bloc nature of BRICS – TASS) among other things clearly illustrates the fact that even among NATO members there are those, as you know, who display interest in working closely with BRICS,” Putin said. “I don’t rule out that in the future other states will also consider working more closely with the BRICS.”
“I heard a lot at the level of experts; the journalist community says there is a need to think of creating a common currency. However, it is early to talk about that and we do not have such objectives in between because in order to talk about a certain common currency, firstly, greater integration of economies should be achieved and, secondly, the quality of economies should be somehow lifted to a certain level so that these are very similar economies, comparably by quality, by the structure.”
Crisis in global sports
Men’s participation in women’s competitions is killing women’s sports:
“The opportunity for men to compete in women’s events is simply killing women’s sports. In my view, some sports aren’t for women. I apologise; women will say I’m wrong. However, if women take part in sports such as boxing and wrestling, let them compete with each other.”
Speaking about the Paris Olympics, Putin pointed out that certain scenes from the opening ceremony were insulting for millions of Christians.
