Putin challenges us to compare him to OUR own -snipped- leaders

Meeting with young entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists

June 9, 2022 18:20

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

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I would like to begin by saying the following. We live in an era of change; this is obvious to everyone; everyone understands and sees this. Geopolitical, scientific and technological transformations are happening. The world is changing, and it is doing so rapidly. In order to claim some kind of leadership – I am not even talking about global leadership, I mean leadership in any area – any country, any people, any ethnic group should ensure their sovereignty. Because there is no in-between, no intermediate state: either a country is sovereign, or it is a colony, no matter what the colonies are called.

I am not going to give any examples so as not to offend anyone, but if a country or a group of countries is not able to make sovereign decisions, then it is already a colony to a certain extent. But a colony has no historical prospects, no chance for survival in this tough geopolitical struggle. There has always been such a struggle (I just want to make it clear); it is not that we are looking at what is happening around us and saying “Wow!” It has always been like that, you see, and Russia has always remained at the forefront of ongoing events.

Yes, there were eras in the history of our country when we had to retreat, but only in order to mobilise and move forward, concentrate and move forward.

Sovereignty, in the modern sense of the word – actually, it has always been like that, but it is particularly clear today – comprises several components.

First, there is military-political sovereignty, and here, no doubt, it is important to be able to make sovereign domestic and foreign policy decisions and to ensure security.

Second is economic sovereignty where the development of the basic sectors of the economy does not depend on anyone in terms of critical technology or matters that underlie the viability of society and the state.

Technical sovereignty and social sovereignty are critically important in today’s world. I am talking about the ability of society to come together to resolve national challenges, to respect history, culture, language, and all the ethnicities that share a single territory. This consolidation of society is one of the core conditions for growth. Without consolidation, things will fall apart.
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en.kremlin.ru...

National Award and Hero of Labour medal presentation ceremony

June 12, 2022 13:25

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Dear friends, colleagues,

Greetings to you and to all citizens of this country on Russia Day. This is a national holiday that is dedicated to our country, that is filled with pride for its history and belief it its future.

The importance of unity for our people, our society, our country is as clear to us today as ever. Our ancestors gifted us this unity, our loyalty to the Motherland, and a responsibility for its future. We know the strength of these century-old traditions, moral values, and spiritual foundations, which have reaffirmed themselves throughout the entirety of our multiethnic nation’s thousand years of history, bringing us together today. Our nation has long considered this sincere and deep patriotic sentiment to be sacrosanct.

We are proud of the achievements and combat victories of our ancestors, and all those who aspired to press forward and did so to make new discoveries and ensure progress for our Motherland, as well as those who defended it on the battlefield and cemented its well-deserved place in the world.

In all these respects, Emperor Peter the Great, whose 350th birth anniversary we celebrate this year, holds a special place. Peter I is rightfully called a great reformer as he achieved profound transformations in various areas, above all in state governance and the economy, forming a powerful, invincible army and navy, with colossal breakthroughs in education, healthcare, and culture. Alexander Pushkin wrote in his poem that “now academic, now hero, now navigator, now carpenter, with an all-encompassing soul, he was an eternal worker on the throne”.

Debate is still ongoing about Peter I and his reforms, yet one must admit that under his rule Russia became a strong and great world power. Today, we pay tribute to his mighty personality, the integrity of his character, his unique knowledge, audacity and perseverance in pursuing his plans, as well as his boundless and amazing loyalty to our Fatherland.

These high sentiments of patriotism are inherent in all of you, my friends, colleagues, comrades – outstanding sons and daughters of Russia. First of all, I will name those upon whom the Hero of Labour title was conferred, an award that recognises the years-long significant merits of our country’s citizens.
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en.kremlin.ru...

Meeting on developing automobile industry

June 16, 2022 20:25

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:
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A number of contractors and suppliers were and still are located abroad, and this is not a peculiarity of our car industry only: this wide-spread cooperation and these long cross-border production chains are common world practice today

Due to well-known circumstances and reasons, many of these ties have now been cut. Many of the Russian car industry’s partners, despite their long-term commitments, have either suspended deliveries or have announced withdrawals from our market.
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At present, I consider two tasks the most important.

The first one is to ensure the operation of car-making factories in Russia, supply them with necessary components, preserve jobs and teams of qualified specialists.

In this context, I would like to recall that we have been implementing special import substitution programmes since 2014. I hope to hear today about the progress of work in this area.

That said, I will repeat what we discussed at the previous sectoral meetings: obviously, we cannot focus only on the current problems of the automobile industry. Today, it is particularly important to develop strategic approaches to its growth and to set a long-term trajectory of technological and production changes that are based on people’s need for high-quality affordable cars, the demands of the economy, businesses, the municipal economy for vehicles, including road, construction and utility equipment.

It is also necessary to work towards ensuring Russia’s technological sovereignty. Of course, this does not mean that all production processes in car-making must take place only here, in this country. However, key, critical elements, such as engineering designs, intellectual rights and know-hows, must certainly be Russian.

The second task is to saturate our market, to provide a sufficient supply of vehicles, primarily cars, the prices for which have soared this year.
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en.kremlin.ru...

Putin's corruption, dodgy deals and rigging elections/imprisoning, killing and torturing opposition parties, activists and free press to make himself the richest and most powerful person in the world makes Western leaders look like amateurs when they dig their nose in the trough.

It's a pretty stupid statement for him to make (unless people are clueless about his dark money and habit of killing/imprisoning anyone who criticises him). But he has managed to destroy his 20+ year legacy as highly respected strongman of the world to laughing stock in the last few months.

a reply to: turretless

Oh No! Glorious Russian tractor production figures are down.

And who wants to buy rubbish Russian cars?

Meeting with graduates of higher military schools

June 21, 2022 13:20

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

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Today’s Russian officers and soldiers – the successors of the generation of victors, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the Great Patriotic War heroes – are selflessly fighting for the Fatherland, for our people, fighting international terrorists in Syria, protecting Donbass from neo-Nazis, and defending peace and security for our people, and Russia’s right to sovereign development.

We are proud of our servicemen acting bravely and professionally, like true heroes, during the special military operation. Russian soldiers of different nationalities fight shoulder to shoulder. In this unity, belief in the justice of their cause, in that huge, truly popular support that our soldiers feel, is the great, invincible power of Russia.

We will continue to develop and strengthen our Armed Forces, considering potential threats and risks, and improve their combat power based on the lessons from today’s military conflicts. The priority areas include equipping troops with new weapon systems that will determine the combat effectiveness of the Army and Navy in the years and decades to come.

In addition to the new weapons already tested on the battlefield, the troops have begun to receive S-500 air and missile defence systems that have no analogues in the world. The Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile was successfully tested. It is expected that the first such complex will be on combat duty at the end of the year.

Plans call for using robotics, the most advanced means of control and reconnaissance, and drones much more widely, as well as actively developing weapon systems based on new physical principles. I am talking about laser, electromagnetic and other weapons. And, of course, intensive combat training of military units and groups will continue, as well as practising interaction with our allies.

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Russia is now going through another set of trials, and we all know how closely the entire world and our country are watching the developments in the civilian sphere. Yes, there are restrictions. Yes, there are different ways to overcome them. And we can and will overcome them.

The same is happening in the sphere of the state military establishment. Our army and navy are improving in all the most important segments in accordance with today's requirements, and this improvement will benefit the army, navy and the entire state military establishment.

There can be no doubt that we will become even stronger. And the effectiveness of this process largely depends on you.

I wish you all good luck once again.

All the best.

en.kremlin.ru...

Address to Russian school leavers

June 25, 2022 00:00

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Friends,

Today is a special and very exciting day for you and the whole of our vast country. In all regions – both in big cities and small villages – school leavers are saying goodbye to their schools and extending sincere thanks to their teachers.

I congratulate you, your teachers and parents, as well as all your near and dear from the bottom of my heart on this wonderful event.

You are quite young and, of course, you dream about many things, seeking to get a glimpse of the future and imagining what your adult life will be like. It is just beginning for you.

You are facing a lot of roads and an incredible number of opportunities. It is very important that each of you can find a path of your own – an occupation in which your talents, abilities, and potential will be revealed to the maximum degree and which you will love.

I believe that it is important to always set the highest bar for yourself regardless of what profession you eventually choose. You should try to solve problems, no matter how small, with honours, to do your utmost with regard to any job at hand, and never surrender or lose heart if something doesn’t play out right away. And then you will be sure to achieve success – personal, creative, and professional – and your dreams are bound to come true.

Now that graduation parties are being held all over the country and there are festivals in the regions in the run-up to the Youth Day, I want to say something very important to you. It is you, today’s school and university students, who will create the future history of Russia, make significant discoveries, set new records, and inspire others with your achievements in most different areas.

I am confident that a few years from now we will hear and learn about these brilliant achievements and will be proud of you and the contribution you make to developing and strengthening our country, as well as to perpetuating its best traditions.

You are open to everything new and you know the value of knowledge; you sincerely love your homeland and are ready right now to join in the beneficial work and act, rather than wait for someone to do everything for you.

Make bold, dream, and march ahead confidently. I have no doubt that you will succeed.

Let me congratulate you once again.

I wish you happiness, prosperity and every success!

en.kremlin.ru...



Executive order on temporary procedure for meeting state debt obligations to residents and foreign lenders by Russian Federation

June 22, 2022 16:45

The Executive Order complements the measures set out in Presidential Executive Order No. 95 of March 5, 2022, On the Temporary Procedure for Meeting Obligations to Certain Foreign Lenders.

The Executive Order lays out the details of working with foreign depositories and maintaining special accounts, as well as the specifics of adjusting the amounts of funds credited to these accounts and paying coupons on Eurobonds. The Executive Order defines the functions of the Russian central depository, which shall make payments to holders of Eurobonds issued by the Russian Federation, whose title to the Eurobonds is put on record in a manner prescribed by the legislation of the Russian Federation within the timeframe established by the related prospectus.

Payments to holders of Eurobonds issued by the Russian Federation shall be made through authorised Russian lending institutions, the list of which is approved by the Government of the Russian Federation.

Obligations under the Eurobonds issued by the Russian Federation shall be recognised as properly met if executed in rubles in the amount that is equivalent to the value of the obligations in a foreign currency and converted at the foreign exchange rate available on the domestic foreign exchange market of the Russian Federation on the day the Russian Federation made the payment to the central depository.

The Government of the Russian Federation, the Finance Ministry of the Russian Federation and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation have been instructed accordingly.

en.kremlin.ru...

originally posted by: choomsuba
Biden is not a nut job.
He is the leader of the free world and in these troubling times we must all unite and support the sound decision making he and his people are making.
It is his final decision if we want war or peace, not Putin’s, and we should trust Joe no matter what he decides.

What are you smoking? Biden is a disgrace and we should not dignify his outrageous lack of leadership in every decision he makes.

Meeting with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko

June 25, 2022 18:10

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Considering that Russia and Belarus are the biggest suppliers of fertiliser to the global market, I would like to discuss with you ways of satisfying the demand on the global market and our permanent customers.

I think we have 15 percent of the global trade, and 25 percent in some fertilisers, which is a very significant amount in the world markets. Low use of fertiliser obviously brings down the next year’s harvest outlook. All that is very regrettable.

Nevertheless, we have agreed to undertake everything we can and take all steps dependent on us so as – I will repeat it – to satisfy the needs of our consumers, our customers.
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President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko:

We are very concerned about training flights by the US and NATO airplanes, which practice carrying nuclear warheads and nuclear weapons. This causes us great concern.

Therefore, I ask you to consider an equivalent response to these actions, without overdoing it. They are training for carrying nuclear warheads. Will you please help us to adjust some of our planes, I think we have the Su-35 planes capable of carrying nuclear weapons? I am not saying we will or you will bring nuclear weapons there tomorrow, but this is no joke, we remember 1941, when they kept trying to lull us into a false sense of security: everything will be fine, all is quiet, nobody will attack you. But in the end we were unprepared for that. That is why it is a grave situation for us, and this is not the first time I raise this question with you. I know that it was considered by the Defence Ministry.

I would like to hear how things are going to unfold in this respect. I will not hide it: I raise the issue of being ready for anything, including the use of the most serious weapons so as to protect our Fatherland from Brest to Vladivostok. This is our immediate responsibility. Especially in view of their training, you also know about it, the US flights with their NATO partners. If they are training, they probably have a plan, otherwise what is the use of practicing.
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Vladimir Putin:

As to security issues, indeed, the Americans have 200 tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, mostly atomic bombs. Two hundred of them are in six European countries, members of NATO, the North Atlantic bloc. To use these weapons, 257 planes have been prepared – and they are not only US planes but also of those countries I mentioned.
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Yes, Su-25. They could have additional equipment installed. This upgrade must be done at aviation plants in Russia but we will decide how to do that. And to begin training of aircrews. This is number one.

And second. As we had agreed on the issue you raised, a decision was made in our country: within the next several months, we will transfer to Belarus the Iskander-M tactical missile systems, which are known to use both ballistic and cruise missiles, both conventional and nuclear.

I suggest we issue instructions to our defence ministries and chiefs of general staffs to work out all the details concerning these joint efforts.


Alexander Lukashenko:

Yes, I completely agree.
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Vladimir Putin:

Last year Russia exported over 40 million tonnes of grain to the world markets. In the current agricultural year – until next summer – we will be ready to export perhaps over 50 million tonnes.
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en.kremlin.ru...

6th Caspian Summit

The presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are discussing topical issues of cooperation in the Caspian Sea in relation to various spheres, as well as the implementation of resolutions made during the previous meetings of the heads of the Caspian “five”.

June 29, 2022 15:15

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

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Ultimately, the key goals of the “five” include the further expansion of regional trade and investment links and mutually beneficial cooperation in industrial production and advanced technology. I should note that Russia’s trade with the Caspian littoral states is constantly on the rise. In 2021, our mutual trade increased by more than one-third, or 35 percent, to reach US$34 billion. It increased another 12.5 percent between January and April.
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I want to stress that the Caspian “five” has tremendous opportunities for energy cooperation. We are already fulfilling our agreements on joint operation of the offshore oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea. By doing so, we can use the natural wealth of the Caspian Sea in both the conventional and the innovative, alternative energy sectors rationally and effectively while serving the interests of all the parties.

We think a lot needs to be done to improve the transport and logistics architecture of the region. First of all, we are talking about building the International North-South Transport Corridor, which our colleagues have talked about. I fully agree with these approaches. This is a truly ambitious project, a 7,200-kilometre-long transport artery from St Petersburg to ports in Iran and India.

An agreement between the Caspian littoral states on transport cooperation, which came into force last year and is aimed at turning the Caspian Sea region into a major international logistics hub, is designed to facilitate a faster launch of this corridor.
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en.kremlin.ru...

a reply to: angelchemuel

Boris Johnson recently mocked Russia's military as weak.
Well unfortunately the Russian military isn't the one that has woke advertising for their soldiers or are worried about pronouns.

a reply to: turretless

The Caspian summit had decided to close off Caspian route to none states.

originally posted by: vNex92
a reply to: turretless

The Caspian summit had decided to close off Caspian route to none states.

As far as I understand, this was already done at the fifth Caspian summit.


Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea

August 12, 2018

Article 3

The Parties shall carry out their activities in the Caspian Sea in accordance with the following principles:

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6) Non-presence in the Caspian Sea of armed forces not belonging to the Parties;

7) Non-provision by a Party of its territory to other States to commit aggression and undertake other military actions against any Party;

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11) Navigation in, entry to and exit from the Caspian Sea exclusively by ships flying the flag of one of the Parties;
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Fifth Caspian Summit - en.kremlin.ru...



Statement by Vladimir Putin following the Fifth Caspian Summit - en.kremlin.ru...



I want to remind you what it looks like.

Vladimir Putin answered journalists’ questions

June 29, 2022 23:25

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Question:

The keynote of the G7 summit in Germany was punishing Russia as much as possible. Also, jokes were made about, I apologise, your naked torso. Everybody had a go, including the Prime Minister of Canada, who suggested dropping jackets to be cooler than Putin. Here, at the Caspian Summit, did you by any chance discuss anything like that?

Also, Boris Johnson said that if the Russian President were a woman, there would be no war. What do you think about that?


Vladimir Putin:

I do not know how much they wanted to take off, to only bare their tops or also bottoms. But I think it would have been a disgusting sight anyway. I would like to quote Pushkin here. I may be wrong with the details but he said something to the effect that “You can be a sensible person and think about the beauty of your nails.” So, obviously, I agree with that: everything should be balanced in a person, both body and soul should be taken care of. To achieve this, one should refrain from drinking too much and other bad habits. It’s important to exercise and keep fit.

The colleagues you mentioned, I know them all personally. It is not the best period in our relationship, clearly. Nevertheless, they are all leaders, which means they have strong characters. If only they set their minds to it, they can achieve success, of course. But it takes effort. The mere fact that they are talking about it is good and I can praise them for that.

Now, to the second part of the question. Did you say Johnson? I do not want to elaborate on what could have been, I simply want to remind you about the events in recent history, when Margaret Thatcher made a decision to start a military operation against Argentina for the Falklands. There was a woman who decided to start a military operation. Where are the Falkland Islands and where is Great Britain? The decision was dictated by nothing but imperial ambitions and the goal was to reaffirm the country’s imperial status.

Therefore, I think that, at any rate, it is not exactly a good jab from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the current events.


Question:

The NATO summit has begun with the war-mongering rhetoric. Russia has been declared a “direct threat” to the security of the Alliance. Stoltenberg admitted that NATO had been rearing for confrontation with Russia since 2014. The Prime Minister of Belgium said that Ukraine must win and that it must do this on the battlefront, which has allegedly been coordinated with the Ukrainian authorities.

How would you assess these statements? And how should we regard them?


Vladimir Putin:

We should regard it as a fact. As regards their preparations for some actions against us since 2014, this information is not new to us. It explains our decisive actions to protect our interests. They have long been looking for an external enemy, for a threat that would rally their allies. I am referring above all to the United States.

Iran is not quite right for that role. Russia is much better. They see us as a chance to rally their allies in a new historical period. There is nothing new in this for us. This is fresh proof of what we have been saying all along: that NATO is a relic of the past, of the Cold War era. They always replied that NATO had changed, that it had become more of a political alliance, but at the same time they were looking for an opportunity to give it a new lease on life as a military organisation. Well, this is exactly what they are doing now. There is nothing new in this for us.


Question:

What about Ukraine’s victory?


Vladimir Putin:

As for Ukraine’s victory, we are aware of this as well. Ukraine conducted talks with us, sometimes better than at other times. We made certain arrangements at some point, but later they, pardon the expression, chucked them. The calls to Ukraine to continue fighting and to abandon any further negotiations reaffirm our supposition that the united West and NATO do not care for Ukraine or the interests of the Ukrainian people, and that their goal is to protect their own interests. In other words, NATO and the leading members of the alliance are using Ukraine and the Ukrainian people to reinforce their positions and their role in the world, not to reaffirm their leadership but their hegemonism in the direct meaning of the word, their imperial ambitions. This is what they want. What they have always said about their exceptionalism, the idea they tried to impress on the international community that those who are not with them are against them – all this are manifestations of the same policy. This is not new to us.
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Address to participants of 10th St Petersburg International Legal Forum

June 30, 2022 12:30

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

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It is true, a multipolar system of international relations is now being formed. It is an irreversible process; it is happening before our eyes and is objective in nature. The position of Russia and many other countries is that this democratic, more just world order should be built on the basis of mutual respect and trust, and, of course, on the generally accepted principles of international law and the UN Charter.

At the same time, it is being said that law cannot adequately respond to the problems and challenges of today, to today’s turbulent and fundamental changes. There are also more radical assessments that the idea of international law is being dismantled. I fundamentally disagree with these conclusions.

Undoubtedly, the system of international law needs to be further developed, but we should not confuse cause and effect. Crises happen not because law is faulty, but because of attempts to replace law with dictate, and international standards with the national jurisdiction of certain states or groups of states in a deliberate refusal to follow essential legal principles – justice, conscientiousness, equality and humanity. These are not just legal ideals, but values that reflect the diversity of our civilisation.

Some states are not ready to accept losing their supremacy on the international stage, and they are striving to preserve the unjust unipolar model. Under the guise of what they call order based on rules, and other questionable concepts, they try to control and direct global processes at their own discretion, and hold to a course of creating closed blocs and coalitions that make decisions for the benefit of one country, the United States of America. The natural rights of others in international relations are being ignored; the fundamental principle of indivisibility of security is being used selectively. The West’s unilateral, illegitimate sanctions against sovereign states have reached an unprecedented scale.

I will add that the countries that advocate their own exceptionalism also overstep the law and cross out such concepts as inviolability of property and freedom of speech in their own domestic policy as well. In sum, the domination of one country or a group of countries on the global stage is not only counter-productive, but also dangerous and inevitably creates global, systemic risk.

The multipolar world of the 21st century does not have a place for inequality or for discrimination against states and peoples. Therefore, our country speaks for the practical realisation of the pivotal international legal principle of the sovereign equality of states and the right of each state to pursue its own development model.
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Press statements following Russian-Indonesian talks

June 30, 2022 18:05

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

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In 2021, for example, bilateral trade grew by over 40 percent, and was up by over 65 percent in the first five months of this year.

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We emphasised more than once that the imbalance of the world food markets is a direct consequence of the long-standing irresponsible macroeconomic policy of some states, uncontrolled issuance and the accumulation of unsecured debt. The coronavirus pandemic further aggravated the situation.

However, instead of admitting that their economic policies were misguided, the Western countries are further destabilising global agricultural production by imposing restrictions on Russian and Belarusian fertiliser supplies, impeding exports of Russian grain to world markets, and complicating the insurance of ships with grain and bank payments under trade contracts.

I will emphasise it once again – Russia has been and remains one of the world’s main food producers and exporters. We supply our agricultural products to 161 countries. Last year, we exported over 43 million tonnes of grain, including 33 million tonnes of wheat. This year, we expect good grain harvests, which will allow us to increase our supplies to the external markets up to 50 million tonnes.

Likewise, we are ready to fully meet the demand of agricultural producers in Indonesia and other friendly countries for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium fertilisers and raw materials for their production. Russia’s share of mineral fertiliser in the world market amounts to 11 percent and exceeds 20 percent in some varieties. Last year, we sent abroad 37 million tonnes of these products.

We certainly intend to continue fulfilling in good faith all of our contractual obligations for the supply of food, fertiliser, energy resources and other critical goods. In this context, we consider it vital to restore the supply chains disrupted by sanctions.
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Vladimir Putin congratulated current staff and veterans of the Foreign Intelligence Service on the centenary of illegal intelligence

June 30, 2022 20:00

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

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One should not indulge in wishful thinking. By the way, the so-called collective West has found itself trapped, has driven itself into this exact trap and in its own actions proceeds from the idea that there is no alternative to its model of liberal globalism. Essentially, this model is just an updated rendition of neocolonialism and nothing else. It is a world the American way, a world for the chosen where everybody else's rights are simply trampled upon.

Clear proof of that is the fate of many countries and peoples in the Middle East and other regions in the world – and millions of people in Ukraine today who are being cynically used by the West as expendable material in its geopolitical games, in its attempts to “deter” Russia. Speaking of which, what does it mean, to deter? To prevent us from developing at the right rate and on our own foundation of traditional values. Is it deterrence? It is just a fight against Russia.

Meanwhile, the West is trying to ignore an inconvenient reality, the forming of a multi-polar world order. Obviously, they cannot fully look away from these objective tendencies. But in their practical policy, they are guided by one goal, which is to maintain their dominance by any means.

The dogmatic attitudes of the past and unwillingness to face up to reality is inevitably increasing the risk of premature, impulsive actions on the part of the West in the future. At the same time, this offers new opportunities to Russia and likeminded countries – as you know, there are quite a few of them. It is true that some of them are not eager to speak out, but they are roughly on the same wavelength with us. There are many likeminded countries, peoples and nations that would like to go their own way based on the principles of true multilateralism.

Of course, we need to conduct a separate discussion on a model and vision of the future and an agenda that will not separate but unite humankind. I believe that it is important to dedicate one of my future public addresses to this subject or possibly choose some other format.

Today I would like to emphasise that multipolarity is, in my opinion, the main thing. I would like to point out that multipolarity, as we understand it, means above all freedom. The freedom of countries and nations and their inherent right to their own way of development and to the preservation of their identity and unique character. In this model of the world there should be no place for diktat, stereotypes or the ideals of exceptionalism enforced by individual countries or blocs.
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Greetings to participants of 9th Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions

July 1, 2022 12:20

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

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And, most importantly, Russia and Belarus not only preserve, but multiply the glorious traditions of strong friendship and mutual assistance. We were able to achieve a truly exemplary level of strategic partnership and alliance, and the Union State is an example of truly mutually beneficial and equal integration.
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Last November, the Supreme State Council of the Union State approved the main directions for implementing the provisions of the Union Treaty for 2021–2023 and 28 programmes designed to further encourage the development of economic integration between Russia and Belarus. New union programmes are already being drafted for the next three-year period starting in 2024.

All these decisions are aimed at creating equal economic conditions in our countries and forming a reliable basis for a common financial and energy market to function, as well as a common macroeconomic, technological, industrial, agricultural and digital policy.

Work to implement the 28 programmes is in full swing, going smoothly and as scheduled. Almost 40 percent of the events planned have already taken place.
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Largely thanks to the active cooperation between regions last year, bilateral trade increased by more than a third, approaching $40 billion. Growth continued in January-April of this year.
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The unprecedented political and sanction pressure from the so-called “collective West” is pushing us to accelerate the unification processes. After all, together it is easier to minimise the damage from the illegal sanctions imposed, easier to launch the manufacturing of popular products, develop new competencies and expand cooperation with friendly countries.

In this context, we believe it is our priority joint task to launch high-potential programmes aimed at industrial and technological renewal. Russia is also ready to support a number of Belarusian investment projects to create new production facilities and modernise existing ones in Belarus and Russia.
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Meeting with State Duma leaders and party faction heads

July 7, 2022 20:50

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

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In a short time, as soon as in early March, several packages of anti-sanction measures were introduced in close contact with the Government. Thanks to these packages, the consequences of the Western countries’ unfriendly and clearly hostile actions were minimised. Indeed, we understand and know this, we see that these illegal measures against Russia are clearly creating difficulties for us, but not as great as the initiators of this economic blitzkrieg against Russia were counting on.

Clearly, they tried to do more than just hit the Russian economy hard. Their goal was to sow discord and confusion in our society and to demoralise people. But here too, they failed since nothing came of it, and I am sure nothing ever will.

In this regard, the example of the Russian parliament as the highest representative body is quite telling. The policy of the parliament is based on the will of the people of Russia, our firm position and conviction that we are on the right side of history, on the unwavering resolve of the vast majority of the country's citizens to uphold Russia's sovereignty and to help our people in Donbass. This is what underlies the policy of our state in general.

The so-called collective West led by the United States has been extremely aggressive towards Russia for decades. Our proposals to create a system of equal security in Europe have been rejected. Initiatives for cooperation on the issue of missile defence were rejected. Warnings about the unacceptability of NATO expansion, especially at the expense of the former republics of the Soviet Union, were ignored. Even the idea of Russia's possible integration into this North Atlantic alliance at the stage of our, as it seemed then, cloudless relations with NATO, apparently, seemed absurd to its members.

Why? Just because they do not need a country like Russia, that is why. That is why they supported terrorism and separatism in Russia, and internal destructive forces and a ‘fifth column’ in our country. All of them are still receiving unconditional support from the collective West.

We are being told, we hear some people say that we started the war in Donbass, in Ukraine. No, the war was unleashed by the collective West, which organised and supported the unconstitutional armed coup in Ukraine in 2014, and then encouraged and justified genocide against the people of Donbass. The collective West is the direct instigator and the culprit of what is happening today.

If the West wanted to provoke a conflict in order to move on to a new stage in the fight against Russia and a new stage in containing our country, we can say that it has succeeded to a certain extent. A war was unleashed, and the sanctions were imposed. Under normal circumstances, it would probably be difficult to accomplish this.

But here is what I would you like to make clear. They should have realised that they would lose from the very beginning of our special military operation, because this operation also means the beginning of a radical breakdown of the US-style world order. This is the beginning of the transition from liberal-globalist American egocentrism to a truly multipolar world based not on self-serving rules made up by someone for their own needs, behind which there is nothing but striving for hegemony, not on hypocritical double standards, but on international law and the genuine sovereignty of nations and civilisations, on their will to live their historical destiny, with their own values and traditions, and to align cooperation on the basis of democracy, justice and equality.

Everyone should understand that this process cannot be stopped. The course of history is inexorable, and the collective West’s attempts to impose its new world order on the rest of the world are doomed.

At the same time, I want to say and emphasise that we have many supporters, including in the United States and Europe, and even more so on other continents and in other countries. And there will be more, no doubt about that.

To reiterate, even in the countries that are still satellites of the United States, there is a growing understanding that their ruling elites’ blind obedience to their overlord, as a rule, does not necessarily coincide with their national interests, and most often simply and even radically contradicts them. Eventually, everyone will have to face this growing sentiment in society.

Today, these ruling elites are raising the degree to which they manipulate the public consciousness right before our eyes. The ruling classes of the Western countries, which are supranational and globalist in nature, realised that their policies are increasingly detached from reality, common sense and the truth, and they have started resorting to openly despotic methods.

The West, which once declared such principles of democracy as freedom of speech, pluralism and respect for dissenting opinions, has now degenerated into the opposite: totalitarianism. This includes censorship, media bans, and the arbitrary treatment of journalists and public figures.

These kinds of prohibitions have been extended not only to the information space, but also to politics, culture, education, and art – to all spheres of public life in the Western countries. And, they are imposing this on the world; they are trying to impose this model, a model of totalitarian liberalism, including the notorious cancel culture of widespread bans.

However, the truth and reality is that the people in most of these countries do not want this life or this future, and really do not want the formal semblance of sovereignty, they want substantive, real sovereignty and are simply tired of kneeling, of humiliating themselves before those who consider themselves exceptional, and of serving their interests even to their own detriment.

Today we hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield. Well, what can I say? Let them try. We have already heard a lot about the West wanting to fight us ”to the last Ukrainian.“ This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but that seems to be where it is going. But everyone should know that, by and large, we have not started anything in earnest yet.

At the same time, we are not rejecting peace talks, but those who are rejecting them should know that the longer it goes on, the harder it will be for them to negotiate with us.
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en.kremlin.ru...

Putin didn’t mess up our nation l, this idiot Biden did and it’s so messed up that we are looking like United States in 1800’s…. We have nothing but debt!

originally posted by: Justoneman
He wins, I am so sorry to say. I CANNOT believe this. This man most definitely is a surprise of a white hat !

Well yes until you add in he has killed about 50k and given many more life long disabilities while flattening a country, and is not stopping anytime soon.

That kinds of ups him on the total crap list a good deal, hard to beat Biden, but he has done it with good effort.

Flag-raising ceremony on fishing vessels Captain Vdovichenko, Captain Sokolov and Gandvik-1

July 8, 2022 14:40

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

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Today the fishery industry as a whole is certainly one of the most important and key industries making a substantial contribution to the social and economic development of many Russian regions and ensuring the country’s food security. Your products are on the table of almost every Russian family.

I would like to point out good results in the volumes of aquatic bioresources production. Our supplies to foreign markets are also growing.

I am sure that the Russian fishing industry – despite all the external challenges and attempts at sanctions pressure – will continue to advance steadily and increase its competitiveness. And the Government will certainly provide the necessary support to companies and work groups for addressing priority tasks.

This above all means developing our own production and resource base, thereby saturating the domestic market with a wide range of high-quality products, and, more importantly, with products that are affordable to people with different income levels. The share of highly-processed foods should also grow substantially, and we would very much like to see a tangible share of highly-processed foods in exports. This means not only additional income, but also that new jobs will be created here in Russia, and not abroad.

In this regard, another important task is to reduce dependence on foreign technologies, components and services. We have all the capabilities to do this, and first and foremost, the tremendous potential of Russian scientists, engineers, designers and workers. We will develop advanced know-how here at home, conduct promising R&D, and shorten the path from an idea and design concept to its implementation in real production.

It is equally important to stimulate further investment in the fishing industry, build and upgrade processing plants, improve all related transport, logistics, engineering and social infrastructure, and raise the quality of life for people in the Far East, North and Arctic regions, along the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Caspian Sea, and other traditional centres of the fishing industry.

And of course, one of our key strategic priorities is to upgrade the fishing fleet, to build modern, well-equipped, reliable vessels for fishing companies, that would meet high environmental standards and can fish sustainably, without harming ecosystems, the wealth that we have to pass on to future generations.

Today, on the eve of Fisherman’s Day, three state-of-the-art fishing vessels built by Russian shipbuilders will fly the flag of our country.
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en.kremlin.ru...



Condolences on the death of Shinzo Abe

July 8, 2022 12:40

The message reads, in part:

“The hand of a criminal cut short the life of an outstanding statesman who headed the Government of Japan for a long time, and who accomplished a lot towards the development of good relations between our countries.

We maintained regular contacts with Shinzo Abe, and his wonderful personal and professional qualities were in full evidence on these occasions. All those who knew him will always retain the bright memory of this magnificent person in their hearts.”

en.kremlin.ru...