Putin: Claiming Russia Faces "Strategic Failure" Will Increase the Risk of Escalation in Conflict

On October 1, Xinhua News Agency reported from Moscow that Russian President Putin, when discussing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, stated that Europe should abandon camp opposition and that all parties involved in the conflict need to rebuild some form of "stable balance." He also warned that publicly declaring the intention to make Russia suffer a "strategic defeat" would increase the risk of the conflict entering its "most brutal phase."

During the plenary session of the 23rd annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club, Putin said that for many years, the West has fostered aggressive nationalism and "Russophobia" in Ukraine, attempting to turn Ukraine into a tool against Russia. This approach has pushed Russia into a position where it has no choice but to defend itself with force, but "making Russia suffer a strategic defeat" does not help achieve peace.

Putin stated that the parties involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict will eventually need to rebuild some form of "stable balance," which requires mutual compromise and moving towards each other, and that Western countries must soberly assess the situation. He said that Western countries also need to adapt to the reality of a multipolar world and learn to cooperate based on respect for the core interests of the majority of countries in the international community.

Regarding the escalation of the conflict, Putin warned that military actions and sanctions are never one-sided; one party's provocation will provoke a response from the other party, thus forming a tightening "spiral of destruction." Currently, major powers possess weapons capable of "destroying all life," and in this context, publicly declaring the intention to make an opponent suffer a "strategic defeat" will only increase the risk of the conflict entering its "most brutal phase."

Putin said that Russia is willing to work with other countries to formulate a forward-looking "realistic roadmap" to promote the establishment of a more stable multipolar international order. He also warned that it is especially necessary to avoid the reality of "the most destructive threats," otherwise, as the hardline responses from all parties continue to accumulate, the situation may develop to an irretrievable point in a "very rapid and unexpected" manner.

The Valdai International Discussion Club was established in 2004 and holds an annual meeting each year, serving as an important platform for politicians and scholars from around the world to interact and exchange ideas. This year's annual meeting was held from September 28 to October 1, with the theme "Responsibility for the Future: Boundaries of Possibility or Infinite Opportunities," attended by about 120 representatives from 40 countries and regions.