The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has lashed out this Friday against Western countries, which he accuses of trying to regain the "lost leadership" by resorting to "unacceptable methods." The leader has alluded in this context to economic sanctions and other restrictive measures directed against member states of the BRICS, including Russia and Iran.
During his speech at the summit of leaders of the bloc held in India, Putin emphasized that the planet "is currently going through a phase of profound structural transformation." "This is because new engines of growth are replacing the old leaders, or rather, the old leaders who were at the forefront of economic growth during the second half of the last century," he pointed out.
In his opinion, Western powers are trying to restore their former position of dominance "by all possible means," and he has criticized them for resorting to "unacceptable forms," referring to the offensive launched at the end of February against Iran. "These unacceptable forms are manifesting at the state level," he added, according to statements collected by the TASS agency.
The head of the Kremlin has criticized that the West resorts to "measures of direct impact on industrial and logistical facilities, pipelines, and other infrastructures, as well as their destruction," alluding to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
"There is an attempt to block international transport corridors, seize merchant vessels, and illegal restrictions are also being employed, along with threats of so-called secondary sanctions against those who are not willing to act in the interest of others, but defend their own national interests," he insisted.
Putin has also maintained that the economic punishment driven by European countries is having a boomerang effect, causing a slowdown in their own economies and limiting their capacity to deploy "innovative policies."
"More than 30,000 sanctions have been imposed against Russia. That is almost double that against all the countries of the world combined. That is the statistic," he denounced. In response, he defended that Moscow has taken advantage of this scenario to strengthen its national sovereignty and tighten "ties with reliable and predictable partners." "In just four years, the geography of our foreign trade has changed dramatically," he concluded.