At an International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply criticized Western nations while remaining silent on a recent open letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Putin accused the “European elite” of permanently damaging the standing of the US dollar and the euro through sanctions and the confiscation of Russian assets, which he described as “theft.” He warned that any country, including Russia itself, could lose access to its dollar and euro holdings at any time.
The Russian President declared that the world is moving toward a multipolar order, signaling a decline in Western dominance within the global trade system. Furthermore, he highlighted that the contribution of BRICS nations-which include Russia, China, India, Brazil, and South Africa-to global economic growth now surpasses that of the G7 countries. Putin also criticized European policy, maintaining that these policies contribute specifically to “instability.”
Notably, President Zelenskyy had recently proposed a personal meeting with Putin via an open letter aimed at concluding the war. However, the Kremlin leader notably omitted this topic from his speech. Prior to the forum, the Kremlin had initially responded cautiously to Kyiv’s proposal.
