Irreversible changes are taking place in the world, according to Vladimir Putin, who gave his annual speech in Moscow's Gostiny Dvor.
The Russian president emphasized: the West betrayed Russia, the deal made with the Russians regarding the Donbass, and armed Ukraine, which it now holds as an umbrella in front of it. According to his words, Moscow wanted peace, but the United States wanted expansion. "No one has as many bases as America - the whole planet is full of them," he said. He also pointed out that the Kiev regime was preparing for a punitive operation in eastern Ukraine against the separatist Russians, so they had to act and protect the people living there.
Although Western trainers have helped train the Ukrainian military, which Vladimir Putin says is full of neo-Nazis, as evidenced by the fact that one brigade was named the Edelweiss, the Russian president believes the Ukrainians are viewed as disposable assets. - The West wants to expand this conflict to a global one, and they do not hide that their goal is to eliminate Russia, but the Russians cannot be defeated on the battlefield - he warned. He added: they are not at war with the Ukrainian people, but with the West.
The president thanked the entire Russian people for their courage and determination, then noted that when he wrote his speech, he compiled a long list of heroes of the national unification struggles, but in the end, he took them out. “I was afraid of offending those I might accidentally forget,” she said.
Regarding the territories annexed to Russia, he continued: "Now we are together again, which means we have become even stronger. And we will do our best to return the long-awaited peace to our countries. Our heroes are fighting for this, for their ancestors, for the future of children and grandchildren, for the reunification of our people," Putin said, asking for a moment of silence and the audience's march in front of the memory of the fallen.
In Vladimir Putin's speech, of course, the sanctions introduced against the country were also discussed, the sole purpose of which, according to him, is to cause suffering to people. At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that the West had neglected itself. The financial system has maintained its stability. There is no shortage of goods. The share of the ruble in international settlements has doubled, and there are more and more people who want to become independent from the dollar.
Russian agriculture is booming, a record amount of 150 million tons of grain was harvested. The total volume of grain exports reached 60 million tons. - A massive increase in domestic demand is predicted this year, I am sure that our companies will take advantage of this and occupy the gap created after the departure of Western companies - said the president. And he noted: before the epidemic, the unemployment rate was 4.7 percent, and now it is 3.7, which is a historic low.
He also touched on the fact that inflation is falling and is expected to reach the 4 percent target in the second quarter, while it is far above 10 percent in some European Union member states. Summarizing the financial situation of the economy and the state, he said: Russia does not have to bow down to others and beg for money and foreign loans.
The Russian president also announced a large-scale infrastructure development program aimed at strengthening Russia's connections to Asia. He then took a stab at the oligarchs, who for many years "tried to save their money" from Russia. These assets then became yachts instead of being used in domestic investments, Putin noted. "There is another choice - to stand by your country and work for your compatriots," he said.
The full article of Magyar Hírlap can be read here.
Image: Kremlin.ru
