Italians and French at Putin’s forum: sanctions do not stop business

SAINT PETERSBURG – The parade of flags in front of the complex that will host the 25th edition of Spief, the St. Petersburg Economic Forum until Saturday, is emblematic: the West is not there. After sanctioning Russia en masse in response to the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine, Europe and the United States have deserted what once prided itself on being the “Russian Davos”.