The Russian leader touched on all sorts of topics in his speech, including everything from a proposal for food self-sufficiency by 2020 to a condemnation of part of the Turkish leadership, which he said – quote – “holds a direct responsibility for the deaths of our troops in Syria.” President Putin also lambasted the West for destroying previously stable countries in Syria, Iraq, and Libya, asserting that they are to blame for creating the type of anarchy in which terrorists flourish.
Along that point, he also reminded everyone that Russia has lost thousands of lives to terrorism and has been on the forefront of the War on Terror for decades.
Sergei Utkin, Head of Department of Strategic Assessment, Centre for Situation Analysis, Russian Academy of Sciences (studio guest); Fred Weir, Moscow correspondent of Christian Science Monitor; and Richard Sakwa, Professor of Russian and European Politics at the University of Kent and an Associate Fellow of Chatham House shared their perspectives.
