Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a wide-ranging address on Tuesday at the annual Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, touching upon Moscow's protracted war against Ukraine and anti-war elites in exile, while alsoplaying up Russias development of weapons based on new physical principles.Putin's remarks come ahead of arare and closely watched summit with North Korean leaderKim Jong Un, whose armored traincrossed into Russia early Tuesday, with experts saying thatMoscow will likely seek artillery shells and anti-tank missiles fromPyongyang to bolster its nearly 19-month invasion.Weapons on new physical principles will ensure the security of any country in the near future.
We understand this very well and were working on it, the Russian leader said at the forum's plenary session.Putin did not elaborate on the types of futuristic arms his country was working on, but the state-run TASS news agencysaid they include laser, ultrasonic and radio-frequency weapons.War in UkrainePutin repeated previous assertions that Kyivs ongoing counteroffensive to recapture occupied territories was failing.He claimed that Ukrainian forces had lost some 71,500 soldiers, 18,000 armored vehicles and 543 tanks since launching the counteroffensive in June.
These figures could not be independently confirmed, but Putin's tally wassignificantly higher than theRussian Defense Ministry's own estimate of Ukraine's equipment losses for the entire period since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.Putin also claimed that 270,000 people had volunteered to sign contracts with the Russian military over the past six months.Meanwhile, the Russian leader blamed Ukraine for refusing to negotiate an end to the conflict, arguing first they need to revoke theirdecree that bans talks and announce their readiness, then well see.Business and economyShifting to business and the economy, the main topics of the forum,Putin sought to alleviate concerns that his government wasexpropriating private enterprises amid the Kremlins efforts to entice wealthy Russians to bring their assets back home.There wont be any de-privatization, I can tell you that for sure.
As far as the prosecutors office actively working on certain areas and companies, law enforcement agencies have the right to assess the specific cases of whats happening in the economy, he said.However, Putin came down hard on his former aide Anatoly Chubais, whoresignedand left the country shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, and tech billionaire Arkady Volozh, who was among the few members of the Russian business elite tocondemn the invasion.Anatoly Borisovich [Chubais] is hiding there [in Israel] for some reason.
I was shown some photo from the internet where hes no longer Anatoly Borisovich Chubais, but Moisha Israeliyevich.
I dont understand why he ran away.Putin suggested that Chubais may have fled the country due to fears of criminal prosecution over a big financial hole in the state nanotechnology company Rusnano, which heheadeduntil 2020.Likewise, Putin offered his views on Volozhs recent condemnation of Russias barbaric invasion of Ukraine and self-identification as a Kazakhstan-born tech entrepreneur who has been living in Israel since 2015.[Volozh] sat silent for a long time, then decided to make statements, the Russian leader said.
God bless him, may he live well there.
To be honest, it doesnt affect us.But Putin made little effort to conceal his true feeling thatthe founder of the tech giant Yandex which Volozh resigned from in mid-2022 had betrayed Russia.If a person grew up on this soil, got an education, became successful, [then] they should have a sense of conscience about the country that gave them everything.One can adopt the position of our geopolitical opponents and play along with them, thus damaging ones country, or one can behave differently.Foreign affairsOn the foreign affairs front, Putin said he did not expect a change in the United States policies toward Russia after the 2024 U.S.
presidential elections, as he accused Washington of stoking anti-Russian feelings among ordinary Americans.Putin then spoke out in defense of former U.S.
President Donald Trump, slamming the legal proceedings against him as politically motivated persecution that shows the rottenness of the American system.This shows who were fighting, the Russian leader said.
As they said in Soviet times the bestial face of American capitalism.Putin also denied a rift in Russias relations with allied Armenia, where frustrations mounted over what Yerevan sees as Moscows failure to act as a security guarantor over tensions with regional rival Azerbaijan.He said Armenia itself has recognized Azerbaijans sovereignty over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, where a shipment of Russian humanitarian aid had arrived earlier Tuesday.Amid ongoing U.S.-Armenian military drills, which kicked off Monday and drew sharp criticism from the Kremlin, Putin maintained: We dont have any problems with Armenia.AFP contributed reporting.