Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his views on various topics at an event in Vladivostok on Tuesday, the 12th of September, ahead of the arrival of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by his train. He discussed Donald Trump, Elon Musk, the Olympics and war in Ukraine, reports Politico.
At the Russian version of the World Economic Forum, the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, one of the topics Putin spoke about was Ukraine.
The Russian president discussed Ukraine’s counterattack, saying it had failed with heavy losses, stressing that Ukraine would only consider peace talks
when their forces, equipment and munition had been exhausted.
Putin has expressed doubts about the possibility of an end of war, suggesting Ukraine should lift its self-imposed legal ban on peace talks and clarify its own objectives before peace talks could take place, according to Reuters.
Putin also discussed the capture of Ukrainian saboteurs tasked with sabotaging Russian nuclear power facilities. He claimed that the saboteurs had been trained by British instructors. Putin has not provided any evidence to support this claim but has stated that he is not sure whether the British leadership understands the situation.
Putin also discussed Donald Trump, saying that everything that is happening with Trump
“is persecution of one’s political rival for political reasons”.
Putin has said that the criminal cases against former President Trump, who had close personal ties with Russia during his presidency, are a “witch-hunt”, describing the charges as evidence of corruption in the American political system.
Vladimir Putin has also praised Ilon Musk, calling
him a “great man” and a “talented businessman”.
Putin’s positive remarks about Musk were important, especially in view of the criticism Musk has received from senior Ukrainian officials for his limited access to Starlink, on which the Ukrainian army depends for its operations. This admiration from Putin may have been influenced by Musk’s role in providing satellite internet services in the region.
Vladimir Putin also announced in a speech on Tuesday plans to organise a
“Friendship Games” within the BRICS next year,
with the aim of creating an alternative to the Olympic Games. Moscow’s involvement in the Paris 2024 Olympics has been controversial. Ukraine wants exclude Russia and French President Emmanuel Macron has indicated that Russian flags will not be flown even if Russia takes part. Putin’s solution to this problem is to revive the “Friendship Games”, originally organised by the Soviet Union in 1984. He said they would be held after the Paris Olympics, stressing that the International Olympic Committee was distorting the Olympic idea that sport should unite, not divide.
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