Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t mince his words at the conclusion of a meeting today in the Kremlin on socioeconomic support for Russia’s regions. Directly addressing people in the West, Putin said (as reported on the Kremlin website, http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/67996):
“I want ordinary Western people to hear me, too. You are being persistently told that your current difficulties are the result of Russia’s hostile actions and that you have to pay for the efforts to counter the alleged Russian threat from your own pockets. All of that is a lie.
“The truth is that the problems faced by millions of people in the West are the result of many years of actions by the ruling elite of your respective countries, their mistakes, and short-sighted policies and ambitions. This elite is not thinking about how to improve the lives of their citizens in Western countries. They are obsessed with their own self-serving interests and super profits….
“To reiterate, the whole planet is now paying for the West’s ambitions and the West’s attempts to maintain its elusive dominance by any means possible.
“Imposing sanctions is the logical continuation and the distillation of the irresponsible and short-sighted policy of the U.S. and EU countries’ governments and central banks. They themselves have driven up global inflation in recent years, and with their actions caused rising global poverty and greater inequality across the world. The question now arises – who will answer for the millions who will die of hunger in the world’s poorest countries due to growing food shortages?
“Let me reiterate, the global economy and global trade as a whole have suffered a major blow, as did trust in the U.S. dollar as the main reserve currency.
