“Former partners don’t hear us” – Kommersant FM

Moscow does not intend to be the first to use weapons of mass destruction, but may withdraw from the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Armenia recognized Karabakh as Azerbaijani, the Kremlin’s arguments were never heard in Yerevan – these are the main points of Vladimir Putin’s speech at the 20th anniversary plenary meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club ” Kommersant FM political commentator Dmitry Drize believes that the president traditionally calls on Europe and the United States to come to their senses and reconsider their position.

The Valdai Discussion Club was originally conceived as a direct dialogue between the top Russian leadership and representatives of primarily the Western advanced public – the elites. They ask, we answer, we argue and in the end we find understanding. Or we don’t find it, but at least we try.

Hence the name. The club is a prestigious event and it is a great honor to get there. Now times have changed, other Western representatives do not go to Sochi, but nevertheless they follow, observe and analyze. Therefore, personal presence is not required in principle. Maybe it’s even simpler this way – Vladimir Putin explains everything to them in a popular way. And, in fact, all the questions are known. The main thing that worries the whole world is, naturally, the prospect of a nuclear winter.

Well-known international political scientist Sergei Karaganov, in fact, voices the constant demand of the Russian angry public: how much can one endure? Isn’t it time, so to speak, to change the concept towards “lowering the nuclear threshold”?

Vladimir Putin responds traditionally through a pause and condescendingly: we can change it, but why? But think about who will attack Russia? They know that everyone will die at once. The President always restrains hotheads. He is a guarantor of stability, and everyone should remember this. We will not hit anyone first without reason.

Nevertheless, we can, for example, withdraw from the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Moreover, Washington never ratified it. And yes, the Russian Federation successfully tested the nuclear-powered global-range cruise missile Burevestnik. And we will put the Sarmat on combat duty. What else is important from the Kremlin’s point of view to convey to unfriendly countries? There is confusion and vacillation in your ranks. And the number of our friends in the West is growing exponentially. At least in Germany. There is such a party there – “Alternative for Germany”. They predict her success in the upcoming elections in Bavaria, a key federal state. Look what’s going on in America, but without your money Ukraine won’t last a week.

The conclusion has been the same for many years: come to your senses, return to a constructive track, let’s negotiate. Yes, we are not perfect, but neither are you. There are no straight lines in the world, everything around is ambiguous. If not, then we’ll wait a little longer – we have a lot of time. Your government is constantly changing, but with us everything is stable.

But for some reason our former Western partners do not hear us. Moreover, it may seem that the terrible missiles no longer frighten them. They don’t want to take the path of correction. And what’s most interesting is that presidents change, parties leave, but the Western world stands still. It doesn’t go anywhere and doesn’t even rot. Moreover, everything strives to expand. And we cannot come to terms with this. This does not allow us to live and work in peace. And it’s unclear what to do about it. Or maybe it’s not their problem? Let’s leave this unanswered.

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