Western countries are desperately clinging to their "vanishing hegemony" but the unipolar world order is becoming a thing of the past, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his address to the audience of the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security on Tuesday.
The head of state noted that the West needs conflicts in order to stay in power, so the US and its allies are actively meddling in the affairs of other countries, whipping up all sorts of provocations and civil wars. The West’s hegemony spells stagnation for the entire world. However, it is possible to reduce tension and overcome common threats by bolstering the system of a modern multipolar world. Russia will continue to take steps towards building a more democratic world and refining the existing mechanisms of international security.
TASS put together Putin’s key statements.
On multipolar world order
The contours of a multipolar world order are being actively shaped. "Increasingly more countries and peoples are choosing the path of free sovereign development based on their uniqueness, traditions and values."
The objective processes of shaping a multipolar world are being "opposed by Western globalist elites who stoke chaos by igniting old and new conflicts and implementing the so-called containment policy, which essentially undermines any alternative sovereign paths of development."
The globalist elites are "at all cost, trying to cling to hegemony that is slipping through their fingers, and seek to keep countries and peoples in the grip of the neocolonial order." "Their hegemony spells stagnation for the entire world and for all of civilization, and it includes bigotry, cancel culture, and neoliberal totalitarianism."
The era of a unipolar world order is vanishing into the past. "Only by substantially bolstering the system of a modern multipolar world it is possible to diminish tensions worldwide, overcome threats and risks in the military and political sphere, increase the level of trust between countries and ensure their stable development."
On Ukraine
The West needs conflicts "to hold on to their hegemony." "This is precisely why they planned to use the people of Ukraine as cannon fodder, implemented the ‘anti-Russia’ project, turned a blind eye to the spread of neo-Nazi ideology, to the mass slaughter of the Donbass residents, and have been flooding and continue to flood the Kiev regime with armaments, including the heavy weapons."
Under these conditions, Russia decided to conduct a special military operation in Ukraine in full compliance with the UN Charter. "The goals of this operation have been clearly defined - it is to ensure the security of Russia and our citizens, and the defense of the Donbass residents from genocide."
"The situation in Ukraine testifies to US attempts to prolong this conflict. And it acts exactly the same way by igniting a conflict potential in Asia, Africa and Latin America."
On West's actions
"The US and its vassals are grossly interfering in the domestic affairs of sovereign states. They organize provocations, state coups and civil wars. Using threats, blackmail and pressure, they attempt to force independent states to bend to their will and live according to rules that are alien to them."
The West’s goal is to "hold on to its domination, using this model that enables it to feed off the entire world as it has done for centuries and such a model can only be sustained by force."
The West brushed aside Russia’s proposals for mutual security measures. Meanwhile, NATO is expanding eastward, beefing up its military infrastructure. "Verbally, it is hypocritically explained by the necessity to bolster security in Europe, while just the opposite is occurring in reality."
Aggressive military political unions, such as AUKUS (Australia, the UK and the US) are being formed by the West in order to "spread to the Asia-Pacific region its bloc system analogous to NATO in Europe."
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was a carefully planned provocation. "Once again, the US deliberately attempted to add fuel to the fire to destabilize the situation in the Asia-Pacific region. The American scheme with regards to Taiwan is not just a trip by one irresponsible politician but part of a deliberate conscious US strategy to destabilize and sow chaos with the situation in the region and worldwide, [this is] an obnoxious display of disrespect to the sovereignty of other countries and to its own international obligations."
By acting this way, Western states attempt to distract their citizens from critical socio-economic problems by shifting the blame on to Russia and China for their own failures. "The so-called collective West is deliberately destroying the system of European security."
On Russia's plans
Moscow and its allies will continue to "refine the existing mechanisms of international security together with its allies, partners and associates and create new ones, consistently bolstering national armed forces and other security structures, and boosting their level of being outfitted with modern armaments and military equipment."
Russia will also continue to ensure its national interests as well as the protection of its allies, and "take other steps to build a more democratic world."
It is necessary to "restore respect to international law, and to its fundamental norms and principles." It is important to bolster the positions of the UN and other international dialogue venues.
"The UN Security Council and the General Assembly, as it was initially conceived, should serve as effective instruments to decrease international tension and prevent conflicts, while working to guarantee reliable security and the well-being of countries and peoples."
