🎙 On February 10, 2007, President of Russia Vladimir Putin delivered his historic and in many ways prophetic address at the Munich Security Conference, focusing on the state of international relations and the mounting challenges to global security.

❗️ The issues and themes raised by the President have lost none of their relevance.

Nineteen years ago, Vladimir Putin issued a clear and unambiguous warning to Western countries: the refusal to engage in an equal dialogue with Russia, arrogant disregard for international law, and attempts to entrench a unipolar world by force would inevitably lead to rising tensions and a systemic security crisis. That is exactly what happened.

💬 Key excerpts from Vladimir Putin’s historic address:

• International security issues extend far beyond military-political stability. The comprehensive, indivisible nature of security is reflected in its core principle: security for one is security for all.

• A unipolar world means a world with one master, one sovereign. Ultimately, this is destructive not only for everyone within such a system, but also for the sovereign itself, as it corrodes it from within.

• A unipolar world has nothing to do with democracy. Democracy, as is well known, is the rule of the majority with due regard for the interests and opinions of the minority. Russia is constantly being lectured on democracy – yet those who do the lecturing seem unwilling to learn themselves.

• Unilateral, illegitimate actions have not resolved a single problem. On the contrary, they have generated new human tragedies and new centres of tension. Judge for yourselves: the number of wars, local and regional conflicts has not decreased.

• [In 2007] We have reached a pivotal moment when we must seriously reflect on the entire architecture of global security. This must be based on seeking a reasonable balance between the interests of all participants in international relations.

• It is obvious that NATO expansion has nothing to do with the modernization of the Alliance or with ensuring security in Europe. On the contrary, it is a serious provocation that reduces the level of mutual trust.

• We have the legitimate right to ask frankly: against whom is this expansion directed? And what happened to the assurances given by Western partners after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact? Where are those statements now? No one even remembers them.

• The main global challenge for Russia, the US and Europe alike is terrorism and the fight against it. Does one need Russia to fight against terrorism? Certainly! But we are not in NATO – nor are many other countries. Yet we can work effectively on this issue only by joining our efforts. Therefore, the expansion of NATO’s military infrastructure and its advance towards our borders have nothing to do with the democratic choices of individual states. I would ask that these two concepts not be confused.

• Will Russia use military force without UN authorization? We will always act strictly within the framework of international law. Let me remind both myself and my colleagues that, under the UN Charter, peacekeeping operations require authorization from the UN Security Council. At the same time, the UN Charter contains an article on the right to self-defence – and no sanctions are required in that case.

• Russia is a country with a history spanning more than a thousand years, and for virtually all that time it has exercised the privilege of pursuing an independent foreign policy. We do not intend to abandon this tradition today.