Vladimir Putin on Wednesday blamed Western nations for the closure of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline, saying that flows to Europe could restart as soon as sanctions on Russia are eased, which would allow it to have turbines for pipeline operations.
In a speech at the 7th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the capital of the Russian Far East, the president denied that his country uses energy as a “weapon” against Europe.
(Also read: European Union proposes a cap on the price of Russian gas; Putin promises to respond)
Westerners “say that Russia uses energy as a weapon. Nonsense again! What weapon do we use? We provide whatever is necessary according to the requests made” by importing countries, Putin said at an economic forum in Vladivostok, on Russian Far East.
“If they give us a turbine, we will reactivate the Nord Stream tomorrow,” the Russian leader told an audience of Asian businessmen and politicians.
“We are ready (to resume gas exports through Nord Stream) tomorrow. All you have to do is press a button,” he added, referring to European countries, recalling that it was not Russia that had ” imposed sanctions”.
We have got into a dead end because of the sanctions
(Read more: US Intelligence Says Russia Buys Weapons From North Korea)
“We have gotten into a dead end because of Western sanctions” in retaliation for the Russian offensive, he stressed.
He also referred to the cap on Russian gas prices that Europeans are considering to punish the finances of the Russian state, Putin criticized what he considers “nonsense” and a solution “without prospects”.
And he stated that Russia will cut off the supply of oil and gas to countries that impose a cap on the prices of hydrocarbons sold by Moscow.
Limiting prices “would be an absolutely stupid decision,” he warned. “We will not deliver anything at all if it is contrary to our interests, in this case economic interests. Neither gas, nor oil, nor coal (…) Nothing,” he added.
‘Russia has not lost in the war’
The Russian president was also “convinced” on Wednesday that Russia “has not lost and will not lose anything” due to the Russian military campaign in Ukraine.
“I am sure that we have neither lost nor will lose anything. In terms of achievements, the main one is the strengthening of our sovereignty and that is the inevitable result of what is happening now,” he said during the speech.
He admitted that due to the conflict there has been “a polarization” both in the world and within Russia, where official polls say that two-thirds of Russians support the intervention in Ukraine.
“But I believe that this will only be beneficial, since everything that is unnecessary, temporary and that which prevents us from advancing, will fall by the wayside (…). Modern development can only be based on sovereignty,” he stated.
Putin denied that the Russian “special military operation” in Ukraine is a violation of international law, precisely because of the “precedent of Kosovo”, whose independence from Serbia has been recognized since 2008 by more than a hundred countries.
He recalled that the UN International Court then adopted the decision that “any part of a territory, of a country that wants to declare its independence, is not obliged to request authorization from the central government of its country.”
“This applies to Kosovo. And why is it not the same for the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics? It is the same,” he said.
“Therefore, Russia has the right to recognize these separatist republics -Putin did so on February 21- and sign friendship and cooperation agreements, which oblige him to help them “in case of aggression”, as is now the case with kyiv, he explained.
Putin denied that it was Russia that initiated the military actions in Ukraine and, specifically, in Donbas, where a military uprising backed by the Kremlin broke out in 2014.
(Also: Vladimir Putin warns that Russia will ‘resist’ Western aggression)
“We did not start anything from the point of view of military actions and we only tried to finish it,” he asserted.
The Russian Army has managed to conquer the entire Lugansk region, but only controls a little more than half of Donetsk, while it has built a land corridor between Donbas and the annexed Crimean peninsula in southern Ukraine.
The president also said Wednesday that it is “impossible” to isolate Russia. “No matter how much some want to isolate Russia, it is impossible to do so,” he said.
(You can read: Russia would take years to recover its economy after the sanctions, according to a report)
About the Zaporizhia plant
The president also referred to the report published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia and stated that Russia did not deploy military equipment at the nuclear power plant.
In a report unveiled on Tuesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “writes that it is necessary to remove military material from the territory of the plant. But there is no military equipment in the territory of that plant” controlled by the Russian forces, he said.
He also rejected accusations that Russia was bombing the plant. “Our military is there, are we shooting at our own?” said
Putin, accusing Ukraine of creating “threats to undermine nuclear security.”
(Also: Russia: Putin witnesses large military maneuvers with Chinese forces)
Limitations on Russian visas
The president also opposed this Wednesday to symmetrically limiting the visas of EU citizens to Russia in response to the European Union’s decision to restrict the issuance of these visas to Russians.
“We will not allow anyone to impose any type of decision on us, they have short hands. We do not have to do anything that contradicts our interests,” he said.
Putin joked that the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, will be upset with him, because “the Foreign Ministry always responds symmetrically”, calling the European decision to limit visas to Russians a “spit”.
“We are interested in young people coming to study here. Why block them? We are interested in companies coming and working here despite all the restrictions,” he explained.
According to Putin, there are many businessmen who love Russia, who visit the country and want to work. “Well, please, let them come and work. Why limit them? What’s wrong with that? Athletes, artists. Why limit them? We’re not going to cut off contacts ourselves. They politicize the situation, but we’re not isolate us, but themselves,” he said.
The European Commission (EC) approved the day before the suspension of the visa facilitation agreement with Russia in retaliation for the war in Ukraine, so that Russian citizens will face greater restrictions to enter that territory.
*With information from AFP and EFE
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