He also blamed the West for the global food crisis. “The famine in the poorest countries will affect the consciences of the American government and the bureaucrats,” he said. Moreover: “What does our military operation in Donbas have to do with it? It is a convenient way for them (the West, ed.) to blame Russia for their mistakes.”
In short, the message was: the West is collapsing, the European Union is an American colony, Western sanctions do not harm us, everything is the fault of the United States, but in Russia we have a bright future as long as we trust the motherland. Because, as Putin concluded: “Real success can only be achieved if you connect your future and the future of your children to the motherland,” referring to the Russian elite who chose to leave the country.
Notable Guests
Prior to the forum, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Egyptian President Sisi were invited to sit at the podium next to Putin. Both leaders were not present, although they addressed the audience via video message.
Instead, Kazakh President Tokayev sat on the podium next to Putin. The moderator was Margarita Semongan, editor-in-chief of RT (formerly Russia Today). The audience included the leaders of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics in eastern Ukraine.
Tokayev made another amazing moment: after Putin explained how Russia has every right to recognize the People’s Republics as an independent state and come to the rescue in February, “just as the European Union did with Kosovo at that time,” he stated that the People’s Republics of Kazakhstan are not supported.
Among the attendees were the President of Armenia, the Prime Minister of the Central African Republic, Belarusian President Lukashenko and dignitaries from Cuba, Venezuela and Myanmar. The most prominent guests were representatives of the Afghan Taliban government. The Taliban has been officially classified as an extremist organization in Russia and is therefore banned.
