Russian President Vladimir Putin used the platform of the 2025 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to reinforce his vision of Ukraine as a neutral state aligned with Russia, warn of rising global conflict potential, and outline conditions for foreign firms to return to Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin used the platform of the 2025 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) to reinforce his long-standing vision of Ukraine as a historically and culturally inseparable part of Russia. He reiterated his demand that Ukraine adopt a neutral, non-aligned status as a precondition for peace and hinted at potential territorial advances, including the strategic northeastern city of Sumy. In the same address, Putin raised alarm over the mounting risk of global conflict, citing instability in the Middle East and growing tensions around Iran’s nuclear programme as key flashpoints.
Beyond geopolitics, Putin also used the forum to deliver a clear message to the global business community: foreign companies seeking to return to Russia will be allowed back only under conditions favourable to domestic industry. He emphasised that investment is welcome, but only from partners who demonstrate reliability and respect Russia’s national interests. The remarks reflect a broader strategy to assert economic sovereignty while navigating the realities of a war-driven economy and increasing international isolation.
On Ukraine and territorial control
In his most direct comments to date, Putin claimed “in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours,” referring to his view that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people.” While he denied seeking Ukraine’s capitulation or denying its sovereignty, he underscored that Ukraine's original 1991 declaration of independence called for a neutral, non-aligned status — a condition he said must be respected if there is to be peace.
Putin said that Russian forces are carving out a buffer zone in Ukraine’s Sumy region to protect Russian territory and did not rule out a potential advance on the regional capital. “We don't have the task of taking it, but in principle I don't rule it out,” he said, adding that Russian troops currently control a zone 8–12 km deep in the area.
Russia now claims control over about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, nearly all of Luhansk, and substantial parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, with partial control in several other regions.
On global conflict and nuclear risks
Putin warned that the world is facing growing conflict potential, citing flashpoints including Ukraine, the Iran-Israel crisis, and instability around Iran’s nuclear facilities, where Russian specialists are constructing reactors. He described the situation as “disturbing” and urged for peaceful solutions across regions.
On military cooperation and modernisation
Putin confirmed plans to deepen military-technical cooperation with allied nations, including joint arms development and training, while also continuing to modernise Russia’s domestic armed forces with cutting-edge technology and infrastructure.
On foreign investment and seized assets
With Russia’s economy facing slowing growth despite years of military-driven expansion, Moscow is now looking to foreign capital, but with conditions. Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov said returning companies would be carefully monitored to ensure benefits to Russian firms.
Putin acknowledged the importance of investment but warned that companies which exited for political reasons were “unreliable partners.” He said Russian businesses must be guaranteed better terms than returning Western competitors.
Western corporate presence at SPIEF was minimal, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov confirmed that no formal applications for return had yet been filed, though he claimed foreign interest is growing.
Spain has faced a string of railway accidents in one week, including one of Europe’s deadliest in recent years, raising questions about whether main...
Hermès menswear designer Véronique Nichanian presented her final collection on Saturday at Paris Fashion Week, ending nearly four decades in the rol...
Almost 4,000 flights were cancelled across the United States on Saturday as a monster winter storm threatened to paralyse the eastern states with heav...
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will not attend the National Football League’s Super Bowl on 8 February, citing the distance to the venue as...
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had taken control of the village of Starytsya in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on Saturday, near the border t...
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow could pay $1 billion from Russian assets frozen abroad to secure permanent membership in President Donald Trump’s proposed ‘Board of Peace’.
Russia’s Defence Ministry has deployed a nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system in Belarus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the situation in Ukraine, during which he said Russian forces were making progress on several fronts, according to statements released by the Kremlin.
Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump that Russia will reassess its position in peace talks after what Moscow calls a Ukrainian drone attack on a presidential residence, a claim Kyiv rejects as fabrication.
Firefighters were clearing the charred ruins of a Karachi shopping mall in Pakistan on Tuesday (20 January) as they searched for people still missing after a fire that burned for nearly two days and killed at least 67 people, police said.
Iran will treat any military attack as an “all-out war,” a senior Iranian official said on Friday, as the United States moves additional naval and air assets into the Middle East amid rising tensions.
Trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. entered a second day in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, following an initial round of talks described by officials as productive.
In the snowy peaks of Davos, where the world’s most powerful leaders gather for the 56th World Economic Forum, a new narrative is emerging that challenges the current dominance of artificial intelligence (AI).
"When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in Davos on Tuesday (20 January), a speech that resonated at home and heightened tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, who later withdrew Canada’s invitation to the Board of Peace.
Spain has faced a string of railway accidents in one week, including one of Europe’s deadliest in recent years, raising questions about whether maintenance investment is keeping pace with soaring passenger demand on the world’s largest high-speed rail network.
Almost 4,000 flights were cancelled across the United States on Saturday as a monster winter storm threatened to paralyse the eastern states with heavy snowfall, sleet and freezing rain, while utilities from Texas to the Midwest faced power outages.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will not attend the National Football League’s Super Bowl on 8 February, citing the distance to the venue as the main reason.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had taken control of the village of Starytsya in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on Saturday, near the border town of Vovchansk. Kyiv’s military did not confirm the claim, while Russian forces also reported strikes on drone and energy sites.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it regrets the United States’ formal decision to withdraw from the UN health body and has expressed hope that Washington will eventually resume active engagement with the agency.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment