Voice of RussiaRussian President Vladimir Putin said those who thought Russia was trying to restore an empire and the Soviet Union simply incorrect. “That opinion is wrong, I don’t think it’s anything that corresponds with the truth but a tool in the information war,” Putin said at a meeting with international media bosses in St. Petersburg. “People are trying to label us as such, that we’re trying to restore the empire, the Soviet Union, to bring everybody under our influence. But this us totally inaccurate,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin argued on Saturday that Russia is impossible to isolate economically.
“I think that the isolation of such a country is a purely hypothetical notion. It’s impossible,” Putin said.
Putin says that Russia aims at developing integration processes within the territory of the former Soviet Union to take advantage of all competitive strengths that our independent states have, rather than to reconstruct the USSR or any other empire.
He also said on Saturday that the draft treaty on establishing a Eurasian Economic Union contain no plans to recreate the USSR.
“The treaty on the establishment of a Eurasian Economic Union will be signed in a few days. If you look at it open-mindedly you won’t find any trace of intention to reconstruct the empire. We only mean to join forces in the economic field”, Putin said at a meeting with managers of world information agencies in St. Petersburg.
The Russian president said that Russia’s secret services are not working within the former Soviet Union. Russia pursues a different policy towards the CIS countries.
Putin also said that Russia won’t accept some abstract role in cooperation with US, that “simply sticking around” is not enough for Moscow, and that true partners should respect each other’s interests.
“Instruments are only good if they are being used. If we have a platform for cooperation, we should use it to find practical solutions and compromises, not for some cocktail parties,” said Putin while meeting the heads of world media agencies.
“If Russia is only entitled to teh privilege of sticking around and listening to others talk, then it is not a role that Russia could agree to,” he added. He believes that, Russia always considers the interests of its partners, but some lines should never be crossed.
“The Ukrainian situation and Crimea is one such line,” Vladimir Putin said.
He pointed out that no one considered Russia’s opinion on Ukraine joining NATO.
“We were repeatedly told that every nation has a right to determine the kind of a security system it wants to exist under, and that it doesn’t concern us,” Putin said.
Regarding the issue of deploying missile defense elements in Europe, he pointed out that Russia proposed several models of cooperation but was repeatedly rebuffed because, allegedly, “it wasn’t a threat to Russia.”
“And when we present proof that this system is actually a threat to us, because all interceptor missiles deployed in designated areas would effectively cover our land-based ICBM launch sites, the dialogue ceases completely. There were no substantial talks at all,” Russia’s leader observed.
Russia had no guarantees that missile defense facilities won’t be established in Crimea, Putin said. The existing instruments that enable the Russia-US cooperation, he declared, “should not be used to further the interests of only one side, but to search for a compromise agreeable to all parties involved.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hope that the Ukrainian crisis will be instrumental in restoring a fair attitude to the international law and preventing further conflicts, even though this precedent will inevitably have some negative consequences, Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Putin believes that the Ukrainian crisis will revive an adequate attitude to the practice of aligning positions and considering each other’s interests during talks, rather than using force to solve controversial issues.
The Russian president said that one of the methods of using force to solve controversial issues would be supporting an anti-constitutional coup.
“We held a difficult but rather constructive and absolutely diplomatic discussion. We tried to convince our European partners that the treaty of association between the Ukraine and the European Union in its current shape constitutes a certain economic menace for us,” Putin said.
Vladimir Putin stressed the fact that economic isolation of such a country as Russia is unrealistic.
“I believe that the West’s sanctions against Russia are absolutely counter-productive, not based on a fair attitude to the existing problems and are dictated by the wish to impose on Russia such a development of international relations that runs counter to the international law and our mutual interests, to say nothing about affecting Russia’s interests”, Putin said.
“We are giving everyone a fair deal and Europeans can see this. If you hold a public opinion poll in Europe now, I’m not sure that the majority of people in the European countries will support their political leaders. I have every reason to believe that our position will have a lot of adherents”, Putin said.
The Russian leader believes that those who provoked a coup d’etat in the Ukraine should have weighed the consequences of their actions more thoroughly.
Russian President Vladimir Putin argued on Saturday that Ukraine’s president to be elected on Sunday might become a transitional figure or, on the contrary, concentrate maximum powers, and that either possibility would trigger more intensive political strife in the country. Vladimir Putin said he would “treat with respect” the choice of the Ukrainian people in the country’s May 25 early presidential elections.
“This is what I think: the people who are in power in Kiev and the principal candidates for president are, after all, different people, and it may not be in the interests of those who are in control today that the newly elected president should be completely legitimate,” Putin said at a meeting with the chiefs of major world news agencies, Interfax reports.
Vladimir Putin argued that it is unlikely that the current strained relations between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis herald a new cold war.
“I wouldn’t like to think that it’s the start of a new cold war. No one needs it, and I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Putin said.
The president also said that in his opinion it would have been more logical for Ukraine to hold a referendum and amend the constitution before holding the elections.
“It would have been more logical and more fundamental in my opinion to hold a referendum at first, to adopt the constitution and then to hold the elections basing on the new legislature,” Putin said.
The Russian president said that Ukraine’s winner in presidential election may turn out to be an “intermediary person.”
“A new constitution may be adopted [after the election]. If this is how it turns out to be, then the new president could become intermediary. Or on the contrary, he would be accumulating maximum of authoritative powers. Both scenarios will be tied to the escalation of the domestic political fight,” Putin said, TASS reports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Russian-Ukrainian natural gas deal meant “unheard-of generosity” on Russia’s part and “a highly partner-like attitude to our Ukrainian friends.” Putin made the comment at a meeting in St. Petersburg with the chiefs of leading global news agencies.
Russia strictly abides by all provisions of the gas contract with Ukraine, but will discuss price discounts for the Russian gas only after Ukraine repays its previous debts, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.
“Russia firmly sticks to each letter, period and coma in the contract,” he said adding that Russia was interested in supplying gas “to responsible buyers, who pay the price stated in the contract.”
The president said he was indeed surprised that Russia should reduce the gas price for Ukraine, which failed to repay the previous debts. He reiterated that Russia’s previous gas price discount for Ukraine was tied to the lease of the Black Sea port of Sevastopol.
Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz’s debt to Moscow currently stands at about $3.5 billion with the gas price standing at $485.5 per 1,000 cu m. European consumers are afraid the situation may affect transit gas supplies to Europe.
Russia is ready to accommodate Ukraine and discuss the reinstating its gas discount, but only after debts for gas supplied in the past when the discount applied are settled, Putin said.
“We’ve told the new authorities [in Kiev], okay, we understand your difficulties, we’re ready to met you half way, we’re ready to discuss possible discounts with you, but pay us at least the debt that was accrued during that period when these discounts applied, until April 1 this year,” Putin said.
Russia is “open to a constructive dialogue” on natural gas issues with Ukraine, Putin.
“We are open to a constructive dialogue, bit it must be based not on demands or ultimatums with unclear motivations but on civilized market work,” Vladimir Putin stated.
How did Ukraine become in debt in the first place ? Debt is created for a reason. Creates useful pawns.
Gives new meaning to Barry’s off the mic comment “I’ll have more freedom in my 2nd term”
Not so strange bedfellows indeed
““People are trying to label us as such, that we’re trying to restore the empire, the Soviet Union, to bring everybody under our influence. But this us totally inaccurate,””
Of course it’s inaccurate. You’re controlled opposition trying to help implement the NWO. Just tell it like it is, Judo boy. Don’t be shy.
The Russian president said that one of the methods of using force to solve controversial issues would be supporting an anti-constitutional coup. <==this is wow!
Yea, I’m guessing he is referring to the bankers and their band of rebels who are trying to control Ukraine.