Safeguarding Russia’s future despite ‘unprecedented’ Western pressure: Key takeaways from Putin’s party conference speech

Moscow has the “resources, means, and political will” to stand up to any attempts to suppress it, the president has said

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the convention of his ‘United Russia’ political party in Moscow on Sunday and gave a sweeping speech that touched on national development, Western pressure, and global instability.

The convention was held ahead of the parliamentary elections in September. 

World in turmoil

Russia is facing a difficult time, with the entire world undergoing a period of “fundamental and systemic transformation,” Putin said, noting the flare-up of regional conflicts and ever-growing fragmentation of international cooperation.

New artificial obstacles affecting “economy, technology, science, and even culture, sports and humanitarian cooperation” are emerging, he said.

The proxy war in Ukraine

Western pressure on Russia has reached “unprecedented” levels, according to Putin. He stated that Western elites are unable to “inflict a strategic defeat” on Moscow, and their efforts to destabilize Russia from within are proving ineffective.

“Consequently, they keep supporting the Kiev regime, which they have chosen as a battering ram in their struggle against Russia, without any sympathy for the Ukrainian people,” he said.

As Ukraine is facing setbacks on all parts of the front line, it has turned to “terrorist activities,” engaging in “targeted attacks on civilians and civilian facilities” and openly recruiting people to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia, Putin added.

The West “turns a blind eye” to Kiev’s methods, he suggested.

National security

Russia is “confidently repelling” all attempts to deter its economic progress, Putin said, referring to new “unlawful” Western sanctions imposed on the nation. “We have sufficient resources, means, and political will, and nobody should doubt that,” he said.

The ultimate goal is to ensure the security of Russia, its people, and its borders “for decades ahead,” the president stressed.

Safeguarding the future

Putin vowed to “take Russia’s economy to a fundamentally new technological level,” to create new modern, high-paying jobs, and to “support national businesses and advanced industries that guarantee Russia’s sovereignty and leadership.”

He also backed the building of new housing and roads, as well as new support measures for teachers proposed by ‘United Russia.’

He identified the preservation of traditional values and demographics and improving living standards and the quality of life across the country as key priorities.

The upcoming elections

Putin praised Russian soldiers, volunteers, engineers, and other workers for serving the country, repeating his view that combat veterans are “Russia’s true elite.” Such people should continue serving in civilian life after military service, he said.

“Many party members, including those who have held high posts in government and business structures, have volunteered to go to the front, and frontline heroes are joining your ranks, winning preliminary elections and running for office at all levels,” Putin stressed.

The upcoming September parliamentary elections will be held in strict adherence to the law and with “all measures” taken to ensure their integrity, including from “external influence and manipulation,” he said.

Russians’ trust in the nation’s democratic institutions is the “essential condition of our society’s stability and unity,” the president added.