Putin's 18th Annual Tour de Force Q & A

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Once again on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin showed why he towers in preeminence over Western counterparts on the world stage.

His 18th annual Q & A marathon answered questions from Russian nationals candidly and forthrightly like all his public remarks — polar opposite double-talk mass deception by Western leaders, other pols, and bureaucrats.

Below are some takeaways from his Wednesday remarks.

The West's unipolar moment ended, Putin explained. Polycentrism replaced it.

Today's "world is changing dramatically."

"But (the US-dominated West) seek(s) to preserve (its) monopolistic position at any cost" — a hostile to peace agenda doomed to fail.

On relations with the US, Putin hopes for "normal(izing)" them ahead — knowing chances for this are nil without explaining it.

On UN Charter-breaching US/Western sanctions on Russia, he said whatever they may impose, "no matter how they may try to frighten us, Russia is developing all the same and its economic sovereignty is increasing," adding:

Russian "import substitution, replacement of imported equipment, technologies with our own, created a good impetus in the development of high-tech industries has benefited production." 

"There are other positive things: the Mir payment system and, in general, the entire strengthening of the financial system." 

"The fact that they are trying to scare us or impose on the secondary market on our bonds and government loans, there are positive aspects in this." 

"The total debt, not only the state, it was already low in our country, but also the commercial sector has shrunk." 

"In general, this also has certain bonuses, positive aspects

"I won't even mention agriculture, which has made such a leap that we could not even imagine in previous years."

Russia will respond asymmetrically in ways "quite sensitive" to illegal Western sanctions and other hostile actions — according to international law —without compromising its interests, Putin explained.

On Russia's military capabilities for defense, not offense like US/Western aggressors, it "reached a very high level and surpassed (other) countries of the world by many parameters," said Putin, adding: 

"It…outperform(s) the US by some parameters."

On US-colonized Ukraine, it's puppet leadership is "unfriendly," said Putin, adding:

"Why should I meet (puppet) president Zelensky?" 

"If he has given up his country to full external control, the key issues about life in Ukraine are resolved not in Kiev but in Washington, and, to some extent, in Berlin and Paris." 

"What then would we talk about?"

Ukrainian supporters of normalized relations with Russia "are sent to jail, others put under house arrest, or killed on the streets." 

"What's the point of meeting with Zelensky?"

On Britain's provocative Black Sea HMS Defender incident in Russian territorial waters, Putin explained the following:

"Even if we had sunk that ship, it would still be difficult to imagine that this would have put the world on the brink of WW III," adding:

What happened, "of course, (was) a provocation" — jointly stage by the Biden and Johnson regimes. 

"(T)he British warship ventured into our territorial waters in the afternoon while early in the morning…a US strategic reconnaissance plane took off from a NATO airfield in Greece, from Crete, I believe" — to monitor and record the hostile action.

There was a "political component" to the provocation, coming days after Putin's no-summit/summit with Biden's double.

It showed illegal non-US/NATO recognition of the Russian Republic of Crimea and Federal City of Sevastopol, as affirmed by international law. 

On US-dominated forces near Russia's borders, Putin debunked "a big fuss over (internal) exercises we were holding near the Ukrainian borders."

"I issued instructions to the Defense Ministry to gradually curtail them and pull the troops back, if somebody finds them worrisome." 

"But instead of reacting to this positively…what did (US-dominated NATO) do?" 

"They showed up (provocatively) on our borders."

On an eventual successor, Putin said it's not up to him.

It's for Russian voters to decide, how the nation's democracy works — the real thing in sharp contrast to US/Western fantasy versions.

On covid jabs, Putin opposes making them "compulsory." 

It's an individual choice in compliance with the Nuremberg Code, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

According to Russian media, over 1.9 million questions were submitted.

The Russophobic NYT derided Putin's tour de force Q & A.

Defying reality, it falsely said it lets "him blame problems on lower-level officials (sic), while casting himself as the savior of the common citizen (sic)," adding:

It "underline(s) the weakness of the top-down system of governance (sic) over which Mr. Putin presides (sic)."

If hegemon USA and its imperial partners were governed like Russia under Putin, world peace, stability, cooperative relations with other nations, and respect for international law would replace endless US/Western war on humanity. 

What the Times and other establishment media suppress is what's most important for everyone to know.

VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

My two Wall Street books are timely reading:

"How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion, and Class War"

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"Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

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