Vladimir Putin is set to be in office until 2036, for
a total of 37 years. He stated his goal is to restore Russia to the greatness of the old
USSR.
Putin does not have the ideological impulses of Lenin,
Stalin, and others, he does share their geopolitical concerns and of all former
Communist and Czarist predecessors.
Today’s
story is from The
AP via Market Watch extracts from Vladimir Putin’s state of the nation
speech with this headline:
“Putin
says: “I hope that no one dares to cross the red line in respect to Russia” in
state-of-the-nation speech”
In his
speech, Putin also spoke of Russia’s moves to modernize its nuclear arsenal and
said the military would continue to build more state-of-the-art hypersonic
missiles and other new weapons.
Key Points (my emphasis) from his
Speech:
MOSCOW (AP)
— President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (April 21, 2021) sternly warned the
West against encroaching further on Russia’s security interests, saying
Moscow’s response will be “quick and tough and make the culprits feel bitterly
sorry for their action.”
The warning
during Putin’s annual state-of-the-nation address came amid a massive Russian
military buildup near Ukraine, where cease-fire violations in the seven-year
conflict between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces have escalated
in recent weeks. The United States and its allies have urged the Kremlin to
pull the troops back.
Moscow has
rejected Ukrainian and Western concerns about the troop buildup, saying it
doesn’t threaten anyone and that Russia is free to deploy its forces on its
territory.
The Kremlin
also has warned Ukraine against trying to use force to retake control of the
rebel-held east, saying Russia could be forced to intervene to protect
civilians in the region.
More from Putin (his quotes):
“I hope that
no one dares to cross the red line in respect to Russia, and we will determine
where it is in each specific case. Those who organize any provocations
threatening our core security interests will regret their deeds more than they
regretted anything for a long time.”
“We really don’t
want to burn the bridges. But if some mistake our good intentions for
indifference or weakness and intend to burn or even blow up those bridges
themselves, Russia’s response will be asymmetrical, quick and tough.”
“Russia has
its own interests, which we will defend in line with the international law,”
Putin said during Wednesday’s address. “If somebody refuses to understand this
obvious thing, is reluctant to conduct a dialogue and chooses a selfish and
arrogant tone, Russia will always find a way to defend its position.”
“Some
countries have developed a nasty habit of bullying Russia for any reason or
without any reason at all. It has become a new sport.”
He compared
U.S. allies to Tabaqui (the cowardly golden jackal kowtowing to Shere Khan, the
tiger in Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Book”) saying: “They howl to please their
lord.”
He denounced the U.S. and allies who impose “…unlawful, politically motivated economic sanctions and crude attempts to enforce its will on others. We have shown restraint and often have refrained from responding to openly boorish actions by others.”
Biden just imposed new sanctions on Russia
for interfering in the 2020 election and for involvement in the “Solar
Wind” hack operation of federal agencies (which Moscow has denied).
Biden responded by ordering 10 Russians expelled,
targeted dozens of companies and individuals, and imposed new curbs on Russia’s
ability to borrow money. Putin retaliated then ordered 10 U.S. diplomats expelled,
and he blacklisted 8 current and former U.S. officials, and tightened requirements
for U.S. Embassy operations.
Putin then seemed to be following the
Biden playbook:
1. He dedicated most of his annual
address to domestic issues.
2. He hailed Russia’s response to the
coronavirus pandemic.
3. He said the quick development of
three coronavirus vaccines underlined Russia’s technological and industrial
potential.
4. He called for a quicker pace of
immunizations.
5. He voiced his hope the country could
achieve collective immunity this fall.
6. He then ended his remarks by putting forward
incentives to help the economy recover from the pandemic and promised new
social payments focusing on families with children.
My 2 cents: A simple wow concludes my post for today
or as the Russians would say: “Вау, потрясающая речь” (Wow, amazing speech).
Actually plain and simple Russian propaganda and huff
and puff – strong words for domestic consumption – not unusual for Russian
leaders to speak that way or to
pound their shoe on the podium like Nikita Khrushchev did at the United Nations
on October 12, 1960.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
No comments:
Post a Comment