Analysis

Putin's Spot On: West Pouring Cash Into Ukraine While Snubbing Poor Countries, Journo Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments about how the US and its allies have now spent over $150 billion on Ukraine, which is nearly triple the $60 billion the G7 earmarked for assistance to the world's poorest countries between 2020 and 2021, couldn’t be more timely, says independent investigative journalist Christopher Helali.
Sputnik
In a major speech to the nation Tuesday, Russia's president took note of the fact that Western powers have spent nearly three times more on Ukraine than they have on assistance to the developing world. The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed Wednesday that its non-Ukraine-related humanitarian activities have become woefully underfunded.

"Actually, Putin in the speech, I found it to be very interesting because it's sort of the classic thing that Russia always tries to awaken people who are listening to the speeches to kind of take a closer look in the mirror and to see what's going on on their side. And he said that you've given, I think the figure he used was $150 billion to Kiev for weapons and for arms, and you've only given $60 billion to the developing world for the poorest countries to have some [better] standard of living. And it probably gets eaten up by their corrupt regimes backed by the West. So I thought this was very fascinating," Helali said, speaking to John Kiriakou and Michelle Witte on Radio Sputnik’s Political Misfits radio program.

During his state of the union-style speech to the nation on Tuesday, Putin cited the $150 billion and $60 billion figures to point to the disconnect between Western countries' claims about "caring for" the poor of the world and their true interest – "unlimited power" and an attempt to establish global hegemony.

"He's saying 'We are doing things. Okay, we have this ongoing operation, but we are providing services for our troops.' He talked about the health care of the troops coming back home, the families of those who have been lost or wounded. And he says 'The West here is just pouring money. Everything is falling apart. And you really don't care about the people at the end of the day. It's serving these military interests,'" Helali added.

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Ukraine Humanitarian Work Well-Supported, Africa & Other Regions Lack Funding, ICRC Chief Says
Addressing the issue, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Director-General Robert Mardini confirmed to Sputnik Wednesday that while humanitarian activities related to Ukraine are now "well supported by donors…the downside is that the rest of the world is underfunded, and that’s a reality for the ICRC."
The statement echoed Putin's point, as the Russian leader noted that the real goal of the West is to maintain chaos and unrest in other countries.

"What about all this talk of fighting poverty, sustainable development and protection of the environment? Where did it all go? Has it all vanished?" Putin asked. "Meanwhile, they keep channeling more money into the war effort. They eagerly invest in sowing unrest and encouraging government coups in other countries around the world."

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Listen to more of Christopher Helali's conversation with John Kiriakou and Michelle Witte here.
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