Gunny
07-02-2021, 01:31 PM
The era of global American rule is coming to an end while Russia’s military strength and influence are rising, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech on Wednesday.
Mr Putin made the comments during an annual event in which he answers questions from ordinary Russians.
Referencing the recent summit between himself and US President Joe Biden, Mr Putin portrayed the US as a power on the wane.
“The world is changing dramatically,” he said. “On the one hand, our partners in the United States understand this, therefore there was a meeting in Geneva. On the other hand, they are trying at all costs to maintain their monopoly position.”
The summit between the two leaders was a frosty affair with President Biden and Mr Putin acknowledging relations between the US and Russian had reached their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.
The US president said after the talks that he had little confidence that Mr Putin would change his behaviour without concerted pressure from Western democracies.
Mr Putin has denied American allegations that Russia was behind a series of cyberattacks against the US, and instead attacked the behaviour of US social media platforms during his speech.
In recent months the Kremlin has stepped up pressure on the social media companies to delete content deemed to be supportive of Mr Putin’s political opposition.
“As they are working in our country and making good money, they should comply with our laws. We aren’t asking anything extraordinary of them,” Mr Putin said.
The crackdown on overseas social media companies is the latest in a series of oppressive moves by the Putin government in recent years to silence opposition voices.
These include outlawing the organisation led by Russian dissident Alexi Navalny, and the shutting down or co-opting of dissenting broadcasters and other media groups.
In answers to other questions Mr Putin addressed a range of topics including the incident last week where Russian armed forces fired warning shots at a British destroyer that had entered the Black Sea near Crimea.
Russia said the British vessel was violating what it considers to be its territorial waters.
Russia has claimed the waters has its own since the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/defence-and-foreign-affairs/us-global-rule-is-coming-to-an-end-says-russian-leader/news-story/a8987b0ef15bddf2d34c5289abe3de2a
He's correct. Some of us have been saying it for a couple or more decades. On the World stage, the US is about as dependable and useful as a proverbial air-headed, dumb blonde. Our "allies" all have their fingers crossed. The smart ones have a Plan A and C without us, and we're Plan B.
Even if we decided to straighten up our act, we're between a rock and a hard place. We're going to have to choose Russia or China, and we cannot sustain choosing neither. Each comes with a cost. Having to make the decision and pay the price is what will keep us waffling on the fence.
Mr Putin made the comments during an annual event in which he answers questions from ordinary Russians.
Referencing the recent summit between himself and US President Joe Biden, Mr Putin portrayed the US as a power on the wane.
“The world is changing dramatically,” he said. “On the one hand, our partners in the United States understand this, therefore there was a meeting in Geneva. On the other hand, they are trying at all costs to maintain their monopoly position.”
The summit between the two leaders was a frosty affair with President Biden and Mr Putin acknowledging relations between the US and Russian had reached their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.
The US president said after the talks that he had little confidence that Mr Putin would change his behaviour without concerted pressure from Western democracies.
Mr Putin has denied American allegations that Russia was behind a series of cyberattacks against the US, and instead attacked the behaviour of US social media platforms during his speech.
In recent months the Kremlin has stepped up pressure on the social media companies to delete content deemed to be supportive of Mr Putin’s political opposition.
“As they are working in our country and making good money, they should comply with our laws. We aren’t asking anything extraordinary of them,” Mr Putin said.
The crackdown on overseas social media companies is the latest in a series of oppressive moves by the Putin government in recent years to silence opposition voices.
These include outlawing the organisation led by Russian dissident Alexi Navalny, and the shutting down or co-opting of dissenting broadcasters and other media groups.
In answers to other questions Mr Putin addressed a range of topics including the incident last week where Russian armed forces fired warning shots at a British destroyer that had entered the Black Sea near Crimea.
Russia said the British vessel was violating what it considers to be its territorial waters.
Russia has claimed the waters has its own since the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/defence-and-foreign-affairs/us-global-rule-is-coming-to-an-end-says-russian-leader/news-story/a8987b0ef15bddf2d34c5289abe3de2a
He's correct. Some of us have been saying it for a couple or more decades. On the World stage, the US is about as dependable and useful as a proverbial air-headed, dumb blonde. Our "allies" all have their fingers crossed. The smart ones have a Plan A and C without us, and we're Plan B.
Even if we decided to straighten up our act, we're between a rock and a hard place. We're going to have to choose Russia or China, and we cannot sustain choosing neither. Each comes with a cost. Having to make the decision and pay the price is what will keep us waffling on the fence.