Vladimir Putin is set to give a much-anticipated speech Wednesday at the Eastern Economic Forum, with Kremlin officials and informed media providing a sneak preview of what the Russian president is expected to say.
Economics 101
Putin’s speech will include a heavy focus on economic development, both in the Far East and Russia as a whole, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“Naturally, the development of our economy at the current stage will be given another assessment, but with an emphasis on the hugely important Far Eastern region. For our country, this is a region of paramount importance,” Peskov said, speaking to Russian television on Tuesday.
“The business environment is also developing, investments are coming here, and transport logistics are getting busier and busier every year…Of course, all of this will be discussed,” the spokesman added.
In a separate interview Sunday, Peskov indicated that along with regional economic development, processes taking place around the world, ranging from trade to the “very, very difficult” political situation, will also be central topics in Putin’s speech.
Russia’s Objectives Amid Mounting Western Pressure
Yuri Ushakov, a senior aide to Putin on international affairs, has provided additional hints about what the president is going to say at the EEF, indicating that the speech will put a great deal of emphasis on Moscow’s goals and strategy amid crushing Western pressure against Russia.
“Our president is expected to give detailed assessments of the current situation in the world economy and politics. The address will likely include a focus on the deep and fundamental transformations that the modern world is going through, about the relocation of the center of global business and financial activity from the West to the Asia-Pacific region. And, of course, about the challenges to the Russian economy as it faces the economic, financial and technological aggression by Western countries,” Ushakov told reporters Monday.
This year’s EEF is being held under the theme ‘On the Path to a Multipolar World.’ In a message posted to the forum’s official website, Putin hinted at the theme’s special relevance and significance.
“The obsolete unipolar model is being replaced by a new world order based on the fundamental principles of justice and equality, as well as the recognition of the right of each state and people to their own sovereign path of development. Powerful political and economic centers are taking shape right here in the Asia-Pacific region, acting as a driving force in this irreversible process,” Putin said.
Possible New Statements on Ukraine Crisis
Entering the realm of speculation (albeit informed speculation), Russian media has indicated that Putin’s address may include some kind of important statements related to the crisis in Ukraine. “New statements on Ukraine are worth waiting for,” Pavel Zarubin, host of the Rossiya-1 political chat program Moscow. Kremlin. Putin. said in a broadcast Sunday. The host did not elaborate.
The chat show has close connections to the Kremlin, and regularly features interviews with senior Russian officials, including Putin himself. In an interview with Zarubin Sunday, Peskov reiterated that Moscow’s security conditions vis-à-vis Kiev remain unchanged, that Russia’s military operation “is proceeding as planned,” and that “all goals will be achieved.” Asked whether Russia has anything left to discuss with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after he ruled out peace talks, Peskov said that “of course" it does. "About how our conditions are met.”
Moscow outlined a series of conditions for ending the security crisis in Ukraine back in the spring, including security for the Donbass republics, recognition of Crimea as Russian territory, and guarantees that Kiev will not join NATO, in exchange for internationally-backed security guarantees. Last week, Foreign Affairs reported that Russia and Ukraine had tentatively agreed on a peace deal back in April, but that ex-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson flew to Kiev to talk Zelensky out of it.
In Good Company
The Russian president isn’t the only high-profile guest speaking at the EEF. Others will include Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Myanmar Prime Minister Min Aung Hlaing, Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, and Li Zhanshu, China’s top legislator.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh are expected to deliver video messages at the plenary session. Together with Putin, the foreign leaders will be certain to make important, headline-making statements on a range of issues.