New Delhi: The Western economy is on a decline, Russian president Vladimir Vladimir Putin said and highlighted Moscow’s growing ties with “friend” Chinese president Xi Jinping, in a rare interview to American journalist Tucker Carlson.
Putin also asserted that he has no plans to attack Poland or Latvia in the much-anticipated interview with the former Fox TV anchor.
Putin pointed out that Russia was looking towards its ties with China and other countries as the power of the West declines, in his first interview with an American journalist since he announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022.
“We, together with my colleague and friend President Xi Jinping, set a goal to reach $200 billion of mutual trade with China this year. We have exceeded this level. According to our figures, our bilateral trade with China totals $230 billion,” Putin told Carlson. The interview was made available on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Ep. 73 The Vladimir Putin Interview pic.twitter.com/67YuZRkfLL
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 8, 2024
“Back in 1992, the share of the G7 countries in the world economy amounted to 47 per cent. Whereas in 2022, it was down to little over 30 per cent. The BRICS countries accounted for only 16 per cent in 1992, but now their share is greater than that of the G7,” Putin added.
The G7 is an intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of the advanced major economies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. The European Union is also part of the grouping.
BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Putin highlighted the growing economic clout of China to buttress Moscow’s close ties with Beijing. In 2022, just weeks before the Russian operation in Ukraine, Putin and Xi signed a “no limits” partnership. Ties between the two countries have grown since, with Xi visiting Moscow in March 2023.
The two-hour-long interview with Carlson saw Putin delve into the history of the formation of Russia, his defence of the war in Ukraine and the possible solutions to the conflict.
Also read: 58% young urban Indians want greater economic engagement with China, ORF survey finds
No interest in war with NATO
Putin said he had no interest in sending troops into Poland or Latvia, both members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) – a military alliance that has a collective defence clause.
“We have no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else. Why would we do that? We simply do not have any interest. It is simply threat-mongering,” asserted Putin.
“It is absolutely out of the question… It goes against common sense to get involved in some kind of a global war. A global war will bring all humanity to the brink of destruction. It is obvious,” the Russian president said.
Putin proclaimed that Russia was the “boogeyman” used to scare countries across the world “in order” to “extort money from US taxpayers and European taxpayers” to confront Russia by financing Kyiv’s war.
Putin also said it was “impossible” to defeat Russia in Ukraine while repeating his claim that NATO’s eastward expansion caused the start of the conflict. He explained the war would end in a “few weeks” if the US would stop supplying weapons to Kyiv.
“What is there to work out? It is very simple, I repeat. We have contacts (with US President Joe Biden) through various agencies. I will tell you what we are saying on this matter and what we are conveying to the US leadership. If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons. It will be over in a few weeks. That’s it,” Putin said.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)