British News Agency

President Putin spoke at the plenary session of the “Russia Calling!” forum held in Moscow.

Putin stated that the modern world is characterized by high turbulence, largely caused by anti-competitive practices of certain Western countries: “By using their monopolistic positions in specific markets and in the financial sphere, they impose illegal unilateral restrictions and thus seek to pressure sovereign states pursuing independent policies.”

He stressed that Western countries aim to eliminate their rivals and maintain their old privileges – that hardly reachable monopoly – in a world that is rapidly changing.

Putin emphasized that all challenges must be overcome through market mechanisms, not by administrative or command-style methods:

“The imposition of non-market restrictions is an attempt to preserve these command-and-control methods used to manage the global economy. It has not worked and will never work. Russia clearly feels this external pressure, but our country and economy are successfully coping with these challenges.”

Putin added: “We will continue building a sovereign economic policy, acting in foreign policy according to our national interests and the needs of our businesses and citizens, fulfilling our obligations to foreign partners, and expanding cooperation with relevant countries.”