Vladimir Putin's speech at the Valdai Conference in Sochi 2014

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Vladimir Putin at the Valdai Conference

On October 24, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an approximately 45-minute speech at the 11th conference of the Valdai Club in Sochi , in which Putin mainly dealt with questions of foreign policy.

The theme of the conference was: "World Order: New Rules or a Game without Rules?" ( Russian: "Мировой порядок: новые правила или игра без правил" , "The World Order: New Rules or No Rules")

Content of the speech

Putin made grave allegations, in particular, of US foreign policy . He accused the USA of wanting to impose a new world order on the world through a "unilateral dictation". The “so-called winners of the Cold War” would strive for an order that would only benefit them, Putin said. The US government is trying to "transform the whole world in its own interest". This increases the risk of international conflicts.

The global and regional security system had been weakened by the Ukraine conflict . The actions of the USA and the European Union have thrown Ukraine into chaos. Putin expressed his displeasure that the EU had not spoken with the Russian government in advance about its association agreement with Ukraine and warned against attempts to resolve the Ukraine conflict by military means. Russia is interested in stability in its neighboring country. Putin accused the Ukrainian government of a lack of willingness to enter into dialogue: "We see no will in our partners in Kiev ... to solve the problem of relations in the south-east of the country through a political process through talks".

Russia itself “does not want to build an empire”, assured the Russian president and denied any other claims. But Russia wants its interests to be taken into account. With a view to the sanctions imposed on Russia in connection with the Ukraine crisis, Putin declared that his country would “not allow itself to be made a beggar”. Russia is a strong state and does not need to ask for an end to the sanctions. According to Putin, the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine caused by the USA has also increased the risk of armed conflict between the great powers. He called for international talks about the conditions under which armed forces should be deployed in the future.

Press conference following the speech

At a press conference held immediately after his speech, Putin confirmed that Russia had helped the ousted Ukrainian head of state Viktor Yanukovych, at his request, to flee Ukraine in February 2014. After his fall, Yanukovych initially fled to the Crimea with the help of Moscow and traveled on to Russia a few days later.

Reactions and reception in the media

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki rejected Putin's allegations. She said the US would not seek a confrontation with Russia and would adhere to the "principles of security". But they will “not back down when it comes to the principles on which security in Europe and North America rests”. It is important to adhere to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Former Soviet head of state Mikhail Gorbachev described Putin's speech as one of the strongest in his entire term in office.

In the reactions of German-speaking and independent Russian media to Putin's speech, it was emphasized, among other things, that his speech contained some of the most severe attacks on the West to date and was largely reminiscent of the rhetoric of the Cold War . "Russia continues to conservatism, nationalism and a traditional foundation of values - and positioned diametrically to the decadent West '," writes slon.ru . Putin also invokes a “traditional Russian zone of influence” and contradicts criteria himself.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Putin: USA strive for "new world order" , website of n-tv from October 24, 2014
  2. ↑ The Russian bear marks its territory , NZZ of October 25, 2014
  3. ↑ Putin's all-round attack against the USA and Ukraine , Die Presse, October 24, 2014
  4. ↑ Putin blames the West , website of Deutsche Welle from October 24, 2014
  5. ↑ Putin attacks USA: "We did not start" , SPON of October 24, 2014
  6. ↑ Putin's Empire of Evil ( Memento from October 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), website tagesschau.de from October 24, 2014
  7. ↑ USA rejects sharp criticism of the Kremlin , website of n-tv from October 25, 2014
  8. ↑ Gorbachev: Putin's Valdai speech shocking , RIA Novosti website of October 26, 2014
  9. ↑ Putin's Valday Speech: A New Foreign Policy Doctrine , slon.ru, October 24, 2014