MOSCOW (Shahid Ghumman): Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he has maintained good relations with US President Donald Trump for many years and appreciates the American leader’s sincere efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
Addressing the plenary session of the 23rd annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club, President Putin said his relationship with President Trump was fairly good and long-standing.
“I have had a fairly good relationship with President Trump for many years,” Putin said.
The Russian president expressed gratitude to Trump for his efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis and said he believed the US president was sincere in pursuing a settlement.
“I am grateful to him for his efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, and as I have said many times, I am convinced that he is sincere in his efforts,” Putin added.
During his address, President Putin also spoke in detail about the Ukraine conflict, international security, reform of the United Nations, emerging technologies and the development of a multipolar world order.
He said the world had reached a decisive turning point and that ongoing changes were not limited to politics and economics. According to him, transformations in technology, social structures, climate, healthcare, energy, demographics, artificial intelligence and defence were affecting almost every aspect of human life.
Putin described the preservation of global peace and security as the most urgent international priority. He said many established international norms had been weakened, while effective rules suited to the new global reality had yet to emerge.
The Russian president called for responsible and practical action to prevent the world from moving towards scenarios that could cause irreversible damage to humanity.
He said that as Western dominance declined, the international system would gradually move towards a more stable, democratic, free and multipolar order. However, he acknowledged that the transition would involve serious risks and challenges for countries and societies.
Putin said international institutions and mechanisms created during previous periods were no longer fully capable of coordinating the interests and actions of states. This, he explained, was not necessarily because those institutions were inherently ineffective, but because global conditions had changed significantly since their establishment.
The Russian president reaffirmed Moscow’s support for fair reform of the United Nations. He said countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East should be given a more influential role within the organisation.
According to Putin, the United Nations remains the world’s most representative international organisation, but a limited group of Western countries continues to exercise disproportionate influence over its affairs.
He also highlighted the growing importance of BRICS and other emerging regional and international organisations. Putin said these institutions had significant potential but still needed to define their functions, priorities and practical capabilities.
Referring to the Ukraine conflict, President Putin reiterated Russia’s position that Moscow had not sought or initiated the confrontation but had been compelled to defend itself.
He alleged that aggressive nationalism and anti-Russian sentiment had been encouraged in Ukraine for years to turn the country into an instrument against Russia.
Putin further accused NATO of expanding its military activities into territories historically linked to Russia, planning military bases and supplying Ukraine with various types of offensive weapons.
The Russian president said building trust was a difficult and fragile process that required considerable time but could be destroyed very easily.
He noted that even the interests of the closest partners could not fully coincide, while differences between countries engaged in rivalry, intense competition or confrontation were far more complicated.
Putin said the international system would eventually reach a stable balance, but achieving it would require mutual compromises, reciprocal steps and a realistic assessment of current global conditions.
He added that former dominant powers would ultimately have to recognise the realities of a multipolar world and learn to cooperate with the countries of the Global Majority while respecting their fundamental interests.
The Russian president warned that rising global tensions were creating serious risks. He said avoiding genuine diplomacy, attempting to intimidate opponents and crossing established red lines were making the international environment increasingly dangerous.
According to Putin, the escalation of military action and sanctions could never remain one-sided because measures taken by one party inevitably prompted a response from the other, further intensifying the cycle of confrontation.
President Vladimir Putin concluded that Russia was pursuing a realistic path towards the future and remained prepared to work with other countries and peoples in building a new and more equitable international order.
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