Vladimir Putin speaks, Part Two
The building of a new and more just world order of diverse civilizations
My commentary of September 30, 2022, reviewed Vladimir Putin’s address to the Russian people on September 21, in which he explained the reasons for the military operation in Ukraine and reported on its progress. “Vladimir Putin speaks: The ongoing decline of Western hegemony is irreversible,” September 30, 2022.
In today’s commentary, I discuss Putin’s address at the 20th anniversary meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club on October 5, 2023. The Valdai Discussion Club is a Moscow-based discussion forum established in 2004. It is named after Lake Valdai, where the Club’s first meeting took place. The Club is highly regarded both in Russia and abroad. Scholars from eighty-five countries have participated in its activities, including professors from major world universities and think tanks, as have politicians and public and cultural figures.
Putin began his address with the observat…