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Putin's speech: An interpretation of some key points

globinfo freexchange

Although the Russian president was quite clear about many issues during his latest speech, it would be useful to attempt a brief interpretation of some key points:

I mentioned our American friends for a reason, since they are always influencing Russia’s relations with its neighbours, either openly or behind the scenes. Sometimes it is even unclear whom to talk to: to the governments of certain countries or directly with their American patrons and sponsors. [...] If for some European countries national pride is a long-forgotten concept and sovereignty is too much of a luxury, true sovereignty for Russia is absolutely necessary for survival. Primarily, we should realise this as a nation. I would like to emphasise this: either we remain a sovereign nation, or we dissolve without a trace and lose our identity.

Speaking of the sanctions, they are not just a knee-jerk reaction on behalf of the United States or its allies to our position regarding the events and the coup in Ukraine, or even the so-called Crimean Spring. I’m sure that if these events had never happened – I want to point this out specifically for you as politicians sitting in this auditorium – if none of that had ever happened, they would have come up with some other excuse to try to contain Russia’s growing capabilities, affect our country in some way, or even take advantage of it. The policy of containment was not invented yesterday. It has been carried out against our country for many years, always, for decades, if not centuries. In short, whenever someone thinks that Russia has become too strong or independent, these tools are quickly put into use.

Despite our unprecedented openness back then and our willingness to cooperate in all, even the most sensitive issues, despite the fact that we considered – and all of you are aware of this and remember it – our former adversaries as close friends and even allies, the support for separatism in Russia from across the pond, including information, political and financial support and support provided by the special services – was absolutely obvious and left no doubt that they would gladly let Russia follow the Yugoslav scenario of disintegration and dismemberment. With all the tragic fallout for the people of Russia.”

What we see in Ukraine is probably another failure of various think tanks, mostly from Washington, which they are funded, of course, by the international capital. It seems that, apart from the fact that they have underestimated Putin's abilities, they have also wrongly estimated that Russia had passed permanently in the neoliberal phase and would be ready to become an easy victim to promote their plans. According to these plans, the ultimate goal would be probably to dissolve the vast Russian territory in future and bring in power Western-friendly puppet regimes, in order not only to conquer the valuable resources, but also to impose permanently the neoliberal doctrine on "unexplored" regions and populations.


Since 2002, after the US unilaterally pulled out of the ABM Treaty, which was absolutely a cornerstone of international security, a strategic balance of forces and stability, the US has been working relentlessly to create a global missile defence system, including in Europe. This poses a threat not only to Russia, but to the world as a whole – precisely due to the possible disruption of this strategic balance of forces.

Latest numerous indications show that the US surround Russia, attempting to isolate the country militarily, politically and economically. The support of neo-nazis in Ukraine was aiming to drag Russia into an attrition war in East Ukraine, for a start. Some analysts claim that Washington's "hawks" prepare a nuclear "preventive" strike against Russia because they believe that they can obviate Russian or Chinese retaliation, using the anti-missile shield in East Europe. Unfortunatelly, there are indications that this may be possible. According to latest information, Washington proceeds in actions to surround China as well. It is not accidental that these revelations come after the recent big agreement between Russia and China on the energy sector. According to some analysts, the US transfer 60% of their naval forces to the Asian Pasific, while they plan to build a similar "anti-missile" system in the region.


Our goal is to have as many equal partners as possible, both in the West and in the East. We will expand our presence in those regions where integration is on the rise, where politics is not mixed with economy, and where obstacles to trade, to exchange of technology and investment and to the free movement of people are lifted. Under no conditions will we curtail our relations with Europe or America. At the same time, we will restore and expand our traditional ties with South America. We will continue our cooperation with Africa and the Middle East.

What we see now, is a cruel battle with time. On the one hand, Russia and China, together with the rest of the BRICS, are trying to get rid of the dollar and form their own currency system to gain complete independence, on the other, the neocon banking-corporate puppets in the US are in panic and seek desperately a pretext to come to war with Russia and put an end to this threat for their plans. This explains their agony to drag Russia into a warm conflict.


Concerning small business, I propose establishing ‘holidays from inspections’. If a company has acquired a good reputation and if there have not been any serious charges against it for three years, then for the next three years it should be exempted from routine inspections by government or municipal supervisory agencies. Of course, this does not apply to emergencies, when there is a danger to people’s health and life. [...] Another thing. I propose a full amnesty for capital returning to Russia. I stress, full amnesty. [...] I expect that after the well-known events in Cyprus and with the on-going sanctions campaign, our business has finally realised that its interests abroad are not reckoned with and that it can even be fleeced like a sheep. [...] At this point, it’s mostly the other way around: we buy everything abroad, leaving the domestic industries and science empty-handed. I suggest creating a special governmental coordination centre and giving the Government more authority in this sphere. This centre would dovetail the implementation of large projects with placement of contracts at Russian companies, with further development of the national production and research facilities, and production localisation. [...] I am instructing the Government to take the necessary decisions to expand small and medium-sized businesses’ access to purchases by state companies, and in particular to determine the volume of state-owned companies’ mandatory annual purchases from small and medium firms. This is tens and hundreds of billions of rubles that must be used to boost the development of national businesses.”

It appears that Putin has set three main goals for the Russian economy which relates to each other. The first goal is to enhance the small-medium business sector as an answer to the neoliberal perception that supports big corporate and financial monopolies. The second is that this should be done by Russian capital returned to Russia. Here, smartly refers to the Cyprus case, as one of the main reasons for the bail-in was to hit Russian deposits in Cypriot banks. (http://failedevolution.blogspot.gr/2013/03/the-new-big-trick-of-neoliberal.html) The third goal, is to impose further state control upon the economy to prevent slipping into the disastrous financialization according to the neoliberal model.

Despite any external restrictions, we must increase our annual investment to 25 percent of GDP by 2018. What does this mean? I’ll explain it with just a few words. It means that we must invest as much as we save. Our savings must work for the national economy and development, rather than the export of capital. To be able to do this, we must seriously strengthen the stability of our banking system – the Central Bank has been working towards this end quite persistently – and also reduce the dependence of the national financial market on external risks.

Putin will seek further autonomy for the Russian economy and further state control of the banking system in order to protect it by foreign financial speculative games. It seems that BRICS increasingly gaining financial independence from the Western neoliberal bloc. This will bring further panic to the Western oligarchs as may fear that a fast growing Russian economy could become a new model for other countries even from the Western sphere of influence. Therefore, their plans for total dominance through the expansion of the catastrophic neoliberalism could be definitely destroyed.

Full speech:

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