Putin defends the invasion of Ukraine in a river speech, against the West

PUTIN DEFENDS INVASION OF UKRAINE IN STRONG SPEECH AGAINST THE WEST (Reuters) – Russian head of state Vladimir Putin on Friday reaffirmed his determination to continue his “special operation” in Ukraine during a a long speech delivered at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. He accused the West of colonial arrogance and wanting to crush his country with “dumb” sanctions, which never had a chance to work. “We are a strong people and can face any challenge. Like our ancestors, we will solve all problems, the whole millennial history of our country testifies to this,” Vladimir Putin said. Western allies have imposed the harshest rounds of economic sanctions against Russia that any country has seen in modern history due to the February 24 invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin said the European Union could lose more than $400 billion (381.5 billion euros) from the sanctions, which the Russian president said would backfire on those who took them. Russia is not to blame for the current rise in grain prices, stressed Vladimir Putin, who accuses the United States of driving up food prices by “spinning the printing press” and ” monopolizing” food on world markets. For Vladimir Putin, the United States considers itself “God’s emissary on Earth”, Washington and its allies trying to “change the course of history” to weaken a sovereign and independent Russia. (Reuters report, French version Laetitia Volga, edited by)