Moscow, Sept 7 (ABC): President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday it was “impossible” to isolate Russia and hailed Asia’s growing global influence, as Moscow looks east in the face of unprecedented Western sanctions over Ukraine. Washington and Brussels have pummelled Moscow with a barrage of economic and personal sanctions after Putin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24.
Facing deteriorating ties with Western capitals, Moscow is seeking to pivot the country towards the Middle East, Asia and Africa. “No matter how much someone would like to isolate Russia, it is impossible to do this,” Putin told the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia’s Pacific port city of Vladivostok. He said the coronavirus pandemic has been replaced by other global challenges “threatening the whole world”, including “sanctions fever in the West”. Putin blamed the “elusive dominance” of the United States and “the stubborn refusal of Western elites to see and recognise objective facts”.
He added that Russia is “coping with the technological, financial and economic aggression of the West”, insisting the economic situation in Russia is “stabilising”. Putin has repeatedly said that Russia’s economy is weathering the barrage of sanctions well, as the Kremlin’s ties with the West sink to new lows. As Moscow seeks to instead bolster ties with Asia — especially key ally China — Putin welcomed the growing role of the Asia-Pacific region in global affairs.
“The role… of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region has significantly increased,” he said at the forum, adding that partnerships will create “colossal new opportunities for our people”. Putin was joined at the forum by China’s top legislator Li Zhanshu — who ranks third in the Chinese government hierarchy — with a bilateral meeting scheduled for later in the day. Putin also met Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, whose government is facing diplomatic isolation as well. Putin hailed Myanmar as a “long-standing and reliable partner”, while Min Aung Hlaing called the Russian president “a leader of the world”.