ASIATODAY.ID, MOSCOW – Vladimir Putin was officially sworn in as president of the Russian Federation at the Grand Kremlin Palace on May 7. Afterwards, the head of state gave a speech, in which he declared that Russia is a great power thanks to the selflessness and patriotism of its people.
Newly inaugurated President Vladimir Putin has sent a clear message to the West that “Russia is there to stay as one of the world’s major powers,” strategic analyst Paolo Raffone told Sputnik.
The director of the CIPI Foundation in Brussels cited Putin’s remarks signaling Russia’s intent to “use political and diplomatic means to defend its lawful interests,” while remaining “open to negotiations and dialogue.”
In his inauguration speech, Putin “rightly claims that after 2000, he, with the support of the Russian people, ‘stood firm against the attacks of international terrorism and saved the country from the very real threat of collapse,’” Raffone noted.
The analyst singled out two cornerstone statements by the Russian president. First, that, “The main objective of the coming six years is now ‘to transform the potential we have built up into a new development energy and to use it to bring about a fundamentally new quality of life for our people and a real, tangible increase in their prosperity.’”
Second, that “Russia’s success and prosperity ‘cannot and should not depend on one single person or one political party, or political force alone. We need a broad base for developing democracy in our country and for continuing the transformations we have begun.’”
“Putin underlines that he ‘serves’ the interests of Russia that has chosen him again as president. Putin acknowledges that the post-2000 recovery of Russia is still underway, and he summons the peoples of Russia to strengthen social cohesion to continue the path of ‘transformations’ and ‘develop democracy.’ Two statements and two goals that are a cornerstone of his new term in office,” Raffone said.
As for the US-driven calls in the Western capitals and mainstream press to delegitimize the Russian presidential election process, “It is the continuation of the historic confrontation of Anglo-Saxon powers against Russia,” Raffone explained.
He weighed in on the fact that representatives of Western countries stayed away from the ceremony. While the UK, Canada, and most European Union nations opted to boycott the swearing-in, France, Hungary, and Slovakia sent their ambassadors, Raffone pointed out, noting that the “tune is set by the US that is faced with tremendous domestic and external challenges in the months ahead of the November elections.”
“Despite the US/UK-imposed boycott, there is no united Western front against Russia… The reaction of Anglo-Saxon powers against Russia is a weak representation of the relativization of their global standing, a process with which their political elites have difficulty to come to terms. Despite their bellicose rhetoric, there is mounting sentiment that the relations with Russia cannot be eased without fresh diplomatic initiatives,” Raffone concluded.
China Working to Mitigate US Impact on Trade Exchanges With Russia
China is working together with Russia to urgently fix trade exchange issues stemming from US sanctions on financial transactions with Russia, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Hanhui told Sputnik on Tuesday.
“US sanctions have created certain problems for trade exchanges between China and Russia. The sides are actively engaged in urgent talks to find an effective solution to this problem,” the diplomat said.
The Wall Street Journal reported in April that the United States was drafting sanctions that could cut some Chinese banks off the global financial system in order to end alleged Chinese support for the Russian military operation.
China counts on cooperation with Russia to increase trade in crude oil, the ambassador put forward, adding that Beijing was opposed to unilateral sanctions and other attempts to interfere in global commodities trade.
“In terms of market demand, energy cooperation between China and Russia holds many opportunities. I am certain that China and Russia will work together to uphold a healthy, stable trade in crude oil and other energy resources,” the diplomat said in Moscow.
Ambassador Zhang said China had always contributed to efforts to protect global energy security in times of volatility in the global market, while opposing restrictions imposed on trade by other countries.
“China has been consistently opposed to unilateral sanctions and interference by third parties in energy commodities trade,” he said.
The United States, Europe and their allies have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia’s energy exports since February 2022 in response to its special operation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to maintain communication on strategic issues, and Beijing welcomes the Russian leader’s upcoming state visit following his inauguration, Zhang Hanhui shared with Sputnik.
“The two heads of state agreed to continue to maintain close contacts and conduct in-depth exchanges of views on Sino-Russian relations and strategic issues of common interest,” the diplomat said, adding that Beijing “welcomes” Putin’s announced state visit after his inauguration. (Sputnik)
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