Vladimir Putin outlined the Kremlin’s reaction to warnings about the slowdown and “fading” of Russia at a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.
“Strengthening our country, looking at what is happening in the world, in other countries, I want to say to those who are still waiting for the gradual fading of Russia: in this case, we are worried about only one thing – how not to catch a cold at your funeral,” – the president said.
The post-war world order was founded by three victorious powers: the US, the USSR and the UK, Putin said. Now the USSR does not exist, and “someone in general tried to write off Russia”.
“I assure you, we objectively assess our capabilities – intellectual, territorial, economic and military,” Putin assured. “I cannot agree that the existing international structures should be completely rebuilt, or even discarded as outdated. It is necessary to preserve all the basic mechanisms of international security that have proven their effectiveness. This is the UN, the Security Council and the veto of its permanent members,” – the president added.
According to him, this position is widely supported in the world. “The USSR does not exist, but there is Russia,” – Putin said.
Speaking about domestic politics, he said that he was confident in the impossibility of importing democracy. “We have to deal with the fact that sometimes they try to substitute the interest of some narrow social group, and that, frankly speaking, of external forces, too. <…>. Real democracy and civil society cannot be imported, they cannot be the product of the activities of foreign well-wishers, even if they supposedly want the best,” – the president added.
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