In comments to officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, June 14, 2024, Russian President, Vladimir Putin asserted that the world had reached a “point of no return.”
“Obviously, we are witnessing the collapse of the Euro-Atlantic security system,” Putin claimed.
“Today it simply does not exist, it needs to be essentially created anew,” Putin said.
Putin warned that the “selfishness and hypocrisy of Western countries” had led to a “dangerous turn of events.”
“Calls to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, which has the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, demonstrate the extreme adventurism of Western politicians.
“They either do not understand the scale of the threat they themselves create, or they are simply obsessed with the belief in their own impunity and their own exclusivity. Both can turn into a tragedy.”
Vladimir Putin
He added that the collapse of the “Western model” of global security required a new and more stable system in its place.
He suggested, “All this requires us, together with our partners, with all interested countries, and there are many of them, to work out our own options for ensuring security in Eurasia, proposing them then for wider international discussion.”
Also, The Russian President stated that his country was open to discussing a new security system with everyone, including the US-led NATO military alliance.
“It is important to proceed from the fact that the future security architecture is open to all Eurasian countries that wish to take part in its creation. ‘To all’ means European and NATO countries too, of course.
“We live on the same continent. No matter what happens, you cannot change the geography, we will have to coexist and work together one way or another.”
Vladimir Putin
G7 Deal On Frozen Russian Assets For Ukraine Loan Labelled As ‘Theft’
Moreover, Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin denounced an agreement by G7 leaders to provide Ukraine with a loan package using frozen Russian assets and pledged retaliation.
Putin’s comments came after the Group of Seven (G7) members agreed at a summit in Italy on an outline deal for a $50bn loan package for Ukraine to help it acquire weapons and rebuild destroyed infrastructure using interest from Russian sovereign assets frozen after Putin sent his troops into the neighbouring country in February 2022.
Speaking at the meeting with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Putin claimed that leaders in the West were trying to come up with “some kind of legal basis” for the asset freezes, “but despite all the trickery, theft is still theft and will not go unpunished.”
He added that Moscow’s treatment was proof that “anyone” could be next and punished by an asset freeze.
Additionally, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova dismissed the deal on Friday, saying that it was “just pieces of paper.”
“These agreements are about nothing. They do not have legal force,” Zakharova was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.
Following the deal’s announcement at the annual summit in Puglia (Apulia), US President Joe Biden said the frozen assets agreement was a “significant outcome” and “another reminder to Putin that we’re not backing down.”
The details of the agreement are expected to be finalised in the coming weeks, and the money is expected to reach Ukraine by the end of the year.
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