There are many topics touched by the president of the Russian Federation in the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi. Some burning declarations are entering the intricate international arena, perhaps an incipit in the current situation of American foreign policy, devoid of the “focus” on the Afghan question.
It is no coincidence that one of the first situations (after the withdrawal of the Russian delegation from NATO) that Putin discusses is Ukraine. The Russian problem is the presence of NATO in a “buffer state” where, despite all the situations taking place in the two militarily occupied regions, the idea of joining the organization of the Atlantic Pact has come forward several times. The choice of having to give way on some fronts (for example the Crimea) is perhaps a price to pay for NATO’s expansionism towards the east.
Putin has attacked Western bloc countries several times. One of the most current criticisms and which particularly annoys us was addressed to the European Commission. In the future, according to Putin, the European gas deficit could amount to about 70 billion cubic meters.
European economic policy was abrupt and the leader took the opportunity to praise Nord Steam 2, even defining it as a more “environmentally friendly” choice compared to a transit from Ukraine (which aims to be independent of gas imports). It is a fact (as Putin also mentioned) that Europe would have a cheaper choice with Russian gas through long-term contracts, so the perspective changes: what is the new “European order”?
It is utopian to believe in a full common strategy in the European Union, although it is dystopian to think that it can only depend on transatlantic relations.
Some statements by the Russian leader regarding a possible peace treaty with Japan and a continued anti-terrorist relationship with the USA are auspicious, but the war on Europe’s gates needs an urgent solution. Russian influence in the Mediterranean needs to be scanned and Libya needs to be freed from Russian contractors. For now, all that remains is to wait, in addition to evaluating possible new moves.
Besides the geopolitical aspects, our Russian neighbors also seem to have another ethical perspective. The criticisms of the “European model” are not obvious and are more incisive than we can understand; it is evident how distant they are despite the collaborative possibilities. In addition to the parenthesis on conservatism as an aid to progress, this is also demonstrated by the direct criticism of Western sanctions (taken as a suffocation to states that need aid especially in the pandemic period). Russia, according to Putin, does not interfere in the trials and upheavals of other countries; having reached this point it is understandable that the road of exporting “values” is impractical, and that perhaps there is a need for a new method of communication with one’s neighbours. A new process that manages to give the right sides in a chessboard where bipolarity no longer dominates, and a relaxation of relations with one’s neighbors is the middle ground.