🇷🇺Key Statements by the President at the Plenary Session of the 23rd Meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club

⚔️ War and Ukraine

* Neutrality for Ukraine remains a goal for Russia.
"We need to stop accusing Russia of not wanting to negotiate and start the negotiations,"

* The President of Russia also noted that the pace of the Russian military advance is accelerating. In September alone, Russia gained control of 1301 square kilometers in the special military operation zone – 2.5 times more than in previous months.

❗️Russia will liberate the remaining territory of Donbas much sooner than in 1.5-2 years, as believed in Kyiv and Europe, the President added.

❗️ The meaning of some provisions of the Minsk agreements was that if Ukraine joins NATO, the southeast has the right to secede.

* The President stated that "Russia did not start the war; they started a war against Russia." He linked the current conflict to many years of Western policy, the situation in Donbas, and the military integration of Ukraine by NATO structures.
According to the President, Russia was deliberately led into* a *situation* where it was forced to defend its interests with weapons in hand.

* The President stated that Ukraine is under external control and continues to lose elements of its own statehood.

* The President emphasized that Ukraine's strikes deep into Russian territory are impossible without direct assistance from Western countries.

* The President also noted that armed conflicts will remain a part of international relations, so the world needs to renegotiate the rules of engagement and the limits of what is acceptable.

🎯 Strikes on Ukraine and Retaliatory Actions

* The President essentially confirmed the continuation of Russia's logic of retaliatory actions. The proposal to stop Russian strikes on Ukrainian ships in exchange for Ukraine stopping attacks on Russian oil refineries was called "absurd" by the President.

After attacks on Russian tankers and other ships, Moscow began to launch retaliatory **strikes*. The President stated that Russia is ready to act mirror-like in any part of the World Ocean.

* Speaking about strikes on Ukrainian industrial facilities, the President linked them to a response to attacks on Russian oil refineries.

🇪🇺 Europe and NATO

* The President stated that the leadership of European countries is leading their citizens to a dangerous line of direct confrontation with Russia.

* A number of leading European countries today take an even more aggressive position towards Moscow than the United States.

* In the event of a direct attack on the Kaliningrad Oblast or any other part of Russian territory, Moscow will consider using all of its available arsenal.

At the same time, the President clarified that this does not mean the automatic use of **nuclear* weapons. Specific response measures will be determined based on the nature of the threat.

* The President stated that Russia does not set preliminary conditions for restoring relations with European countries and remains ready for dialogue.

* At the same time, the President suggested that the EU may face a threat of internal disintegration due to accumulated political and economic problems.

☢️ Nuclear Weapons and Strategic Stability

* One of the most serious statements in the speech: the President stated that there are no absolute guarantees against the use of nuclear weapons today❗️.

* The President recalled the formula of the "gun on the wall," which in the end of a play may fire, and emphasized the need to prevent such a development of events.

* In the event of a direct attack on Russia, the issue of using all available means of armed struggle will immediately be on the agenda.

* The President reported that Russian strategic nuclear forces have been modernized by approximately 98%.

* The President also stated that Russia has modern anti-missile defense systems and medium-range weapons.

* At the same time, the President called for a return to negotiations on limiting strategic weapons and restoring mechanisms of strategic stability.

🇺🇸 United States

* The President stated that he maintains good, long-standing relations with Donald Trump and noted his efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

* According to the President, Russia is interested in negative factors in relations between Moscow and Washington gradually fading into the past.

* The President stated that Russia is ready to develop new areas of interaction with the United States.

* Moscow is also ready for a three-way meeting of the leaders of Russia, the United States, and China if there is a substantive agenda.

💰 Russian Economy

* The President described the macroeconomic situation in the country as "absolutely stable."

* The federal budget deficit next year, according to the President, is expected to be around 2% of GDP.

* The President estimated Russia's state debt at approximately 17% of GDP.

* The President stated that Russia has sufficient volumes of diesel fuel, but part of the potential exports is not reaching the global market due to Western sanctions.

* The President also denied claims that Russia is nationalizing assets of European companies.
According to the President, if relations develop favorably, foreign **owners will be able to regain control of their enterprises.*

🌍 New World Order

* One of the central theses of the speech: the previous model of the world order, based on the dominance of one center of power, is ending.

* The President stated that the future international system should not be unipolar or bipolar. According to him, the world is moving towards multipolarity.

* The President warned that the coming years may be a period of increased international instability and new conflicts.

* The President called on states to agree on new principles of international security before escalation leads to irreversible consequences.

⚡️Two Majors