Iran Press/ Europe: On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the West for not paying attention to Moscow's security concerns and called for the help of Donetsk and Luhansk officials in the Donbas region to order an attack on Ukraine.
Putin, in his statements, said: "I'm confident we haven't lost anything and won't lose anything [after attacks to Ukraine]. Our main gain is strengthening sovereignty."
"The [coronavirus] epidemic has been replaced by other global challenges that threaten the entire world," he added.
"I'm referring to the West's sanctions fever," he said, criticizing "blatant and aggressive" attempts to "subjugate" countries that have not imposed economic restrictions on Russia.
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Sanctions against Russia do not reflect realities of global politics, economy: Putin
According to Moscow Times, Putin said that Western governments had fallen victim to the sanctions imposed as punishment for Russia's attacks on Ukraine.
The Russian president alleged that the loss of Russian raw materials had forced some European businesses to close, repeated his long-standing claim that trust in the US dollar is declining, and said inflation was rising in the US and Europe while falling in Russia.
When asked about gains and losses for Russia following the attacks on Ukraine in February, Putin appeared not to acknowledge military casualties or Russia's economic downturn.
"I'm confident we haven't lost anything and won't lose anything [after invading Ukraine]. Our main gain is strengthening sovereignty," Putin said.
Putin added most of the grain leaving Ukrainian ports after a Turkey-brokered deal to lift a Russian blockade reached the European Union instead of developing nations.
Putin said European countries "acted as colonialists in recent decades and centuries" and "they continue to act so today."
"With this approach, the scale of food problems in the world will only grow," Putin said, adding it could lead to "an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe."
"Maybe we should think about restricting that route for grain and trade food? I'll definitely consult with the Turkish president," Putin said.
Putin was addressing the forum's plenary session as part of his trip to Russia's the Far East, where he oversaw large-scale Vostok-2022 war games involving China and other Russia-friendly countries Tuesday.
Putin also hailed the growing role of the Asia-Pacific region in global affairs as he sought to shore up Russia's partnerships in Asia.
"Western countries are trying to preserve the former world order that's only profitable to them," Putin said, accusing the collective West of "regularly violating and changing its infamous rules."
He added: "Other countries' unwillingness to submit to this diktat and lawlessness forces Western elites to snap and make short-sighted speculative decisions in global security, politics and the economy."
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