‘We have not lost, and we will not lose anything.’ Putin on the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
On September 7, 2022, Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok that he believes Russia has lost nothing by starting the war in Ukraine, and has only strengthened its own sovereignty.
When asked what Russia has gained and lost after February 24, he said the following:
We've lost nothing. And we won't lose anything. The main achievement so far has been the strengthening of our sovereignty. Yes, there is a certain polarization, but I believe that this is only for the good of the world and the country itself. Because everything unnecessary and harmful, everything which impedes our progress will be rejected, and we will gain momentum, the pace of development, because modern development can only be based on sovereignty. All our steps in this direction are aimed at strengthening our sovereignty.
And the second and most important thing. I want to stress this once again. It is often said. We haven't started anything in terms of military action, we're only trying to finish it.
Putin reiterated that military action in Ukraine began in 2014 "after the coup d'état by those who sought to oppress their own people, conducting one military operation after another and subjecting the people living in Donbas to genocide.
Russia, according to Putin, after repeated attempts to resolve the situation peacefully, "consciously" went to resolve the issue "by armed means." "All our actions are aimed at helping the people who live in Donbas, this is our duty, and we will carry it out to the end," the Russian president said.
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