Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the 23rd Annual Meeting Plenary Session of the Russian think tank Valdai International Debate Club on October 1. Putin said that Western countries have always claimed that they want Russia to experience “strategic failure,” which may cause the conflict to enter the “cruelest stage.” Putin said that over the years, the West has attempted to turn Ukraine into a tool against Russia. This approach has pushed Russia to a situation where it has to use force to defend itself, but “causing Russia to suffer strategic failure” is not helpful in achieving peace. Putin warned that military action and sanctions are never one-sided, and that one party's provocation will trigger a response from the other side, thus forming a “spiral of destruction” that is constantly being tightened. Currently, major powers have enough weapons to “destroy all lives.” Threats to opponents at this time will only increase the risk that the conflict will enter the “cruelest stage.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the 23rd Annual Meeting Plenary Session of the Russian think tank Valdai International Debate Club on October 1. Putin said that Western countries have always claimed that they want Russia to experience “strategic failure,” which may cause the conflict to enter the “cruelest stage.” Putin said that over the years, the West has attempted to turn Ukraine into a tool against Russia. This approach has pushed Russia to a situation where it has to use force to defend itself, but “causing Russia to suffer strategic failure” is not helpful in achieving peace. Putin warned that military action and sanctions are never one-sided, and that one party's provocation will trigger a response from the other side, thus forming a “spiral of destruction” that is constantly being tightened. Currently, major powers have enough weapons to “destroy all lives.” Threats to opponents at this time will only increase the risk that the conflict will enter the “cruelest stage.”