Putin "Valdai" made a tough speech: the capitalist model has come to an end

Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the annual meeting of the Valdai International Debate Club, a well-known Russian think tank, on the 21st, expounded Russia's attitude on global issues, Russia's relations with China, the United States and Japan, and called for cooperation to jointly resolve the crisis. Some analysts believe that Putin's position in this "Valdai Annual Meeting" is slightly tougher than usual, and has sent many clear signals to foreign partners.

Putin infographic

According to the Russian News Agency reported on the 22nd, in the 3.5-hour speech and interaction, Putin repeatedly mentioned China and spoke highly of Russian-Chinese relations. In response to a question about NATO's view of Russia and China as a threat to reunification and whether Russia and China should be aligned to respond, Putin said that unlike NATO, the friendly relations between Russia and China are mutually beneficial and not hostile to any country. There is no closed military bloc between Russia and China, and there is no idea of establishing a military alliance, and all speculation in this regard is unfounded.

When talking about Russian-US relations, Putin said that the intelligence agencies of the two countries are maintaining communication and hope to cooperate more deeply.

Regarding Ukraine, Putin said that the military support of the United States and other NATO members for Ukraine poses a "real threat" to Russia. He believes that although Ukraine is unlikely to join NATO in the end, the current NATO military infrastructure construction in Ukraine may affect Russia's national security in the future. "Tomorrow, rocket launchers may appear near Kharkiv (the city of eastern Ukraine), what should we do? It's not that we put the missiles there, it's that they put the missiles under our noses. Putin also pointed out that NATO took advantage of the opportunity of German reunification in 1990 to seize power and expand its deployment again and again. Reuters said Putin had consistently shown the consequences of Ukraine's membership in NATO, which would be Moscow's "red line."

Putin is also very concerned about the situation in Afghanistan. He said the U.S. decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan was the right one, but that the U.S. and Europe should not absolve themselves of responsibility for the country's current events and future. They should first unfreeze Afghan assets abroad and offer them the possibility of solving their most important socio-economic problems. Putin said that the decision to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations should be made at the LEVEL of the United Nations, and russia's position is to work in this direction.

Regarding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's proposal to remove the veto power of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, Putin believes that this will turn the UN into another "league of nations". "If we abolish the veto on the permanent members, the United Nations will die out on the same day — it will become a league of nations." It will only become a platform for discussion – Valdai Debate Club 2.0. When Erdogan visited Africa on the 18th, he claimed that the UN Security Council has no right to determine the fate of mankind, and the fate of mankind should not rely on the benevolence of "a few victorious countries" in World War II, "the world is greater than 5 (permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto power)".

On the issue of the European gas crisis, Putin said at the meeting that the gas crisis is an artificial result of the economic policies of the European Commission and Russia has nothing to do with it. "If Europe continues on this route, what awaits them will be the fate of the wolf in the Russian fairy tale who sticks its tail into an ice cave to fish." Putin said that the second branch of the "Nord Stream-2" natural gas pipeline may be filled in mid-December this year. If the license for the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline is successful in Germany, Russia can immediately send gas to Europe through the pipeline. Putin also said that Russia can increase the supply of natural gas to the European market, with an annual transmission capacity of up to 55 billion cubic meters. Europe's current gas shortfall is estimated at 70 billion cubic meters.

Speaking about capitalism, Putin said that capitalism has "exhausted" itself in the face of a widening gap between rich and poor. "The current model of capitalism, the basis of the social order of the vast majority of countries, has lost its momentum and has come to an end in an increasingly chaotic entanglement of contradictions." Putin explained: "In the richest countries and regions, we see growing inequalities in material interests and opportunities within society, as well as at the international level. ”

According to the Russian News Agency reported on the 22nd, Peter Duterkovich, a professor at Carleton University in Canada, believes that Putin's speech is tougher than usual, and he has sent a signal to foreign partners to listen to Russia's voice.

Bestritsky, president of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai International Debate Club, said: "President Putin has made a constructive stand on all hot issues. On international issues, the President has shown a calm and benevolent stance. While describing the future of the world, he understood that all countries had their own areas of interest, but at the same time were ready to cooperate. ”

The annual meeting of the Valdai International Debate Club is an important annual political exchange activity between Russia and the international community, and Putin usually delivers a speech on the last day of the annual meeting, which is often regarded by all walks of life as an important basis for predicting the direction of Russia's domestic and foreign affairs in the coming period. This year's annual meeting was held in the southwestern Russian city of Sochi from 18 to 21 with the theme "Twenty-first Century - Global Shocks: People, Values, Nations". Delegates from more than 40 countries attended.

Column Editor-in-Chief: Gu Wanquan Text Editor: Fang Ying Title Image Source: Xinhua News Agency Photo Editor: Yong Kai

Source: Author: Global Times Liu Zhi Li Linjia