Here is the link:
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/69465
Here are just a few highlights. I’m not pro-Russian by any means, but this speech has more of the ring of truth about it (much of which can be verified as fact) than any speech made by any Western leader since the beginning of 2020. I don’t know if I can trust Putin. He is a politician after all. I definitely know that I cannot trust my own government or any of the instruments of state. Not only can I not trust them, I am acutely aware of the fact that they either mean to do their own citizens great harm or knowingly cause them great harm in the pursuit of their ambitions which do not even remotely involve governing in the best interests of the people who supposedly democratically elected them. These are cold hard facts revealed to us all over the last two and a half years. Some still choose to ignore them, at their own peril.
Today we will sign treaties on the accession of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Lugansk People’s Republic, Zaporozhye Region and Kherson Region to the Russian Federation.
We will always remember the heroes of the Russian Spring, those who refused to accept the neo-Nazi coup d'état in Ukraine in 2014, all those who died for the right to speak their native language, to preserve their culture, traditions and religion, and for the very right to live. We remember the soldiers of Donbass, the martyrs of the “Odessa Khatyn,” the victims of inhuman terrorist attacks carried out by the Kiev regime.
I want the Kiev authorities and their true handlers in the West to hear me now, and I want everyone to remember this: the people living in Lugansk and Donetsk, in Kherson and Zaporozhye have become our citizens, forever.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, the West decided that the world and all of us would permanently accede to its dictates. In 1991, the West thought that Russia would never rise after such shocks and would fall to pieces on its own. This almost happened. We remember the horrible 1990s, hungry, cold and hopeless. But Russia remained standing, came alive, grew stronger and occupied its rightful place in the world.
Meanwhile, the West continued and continues looking for another chance to strike a blow at us, to weaken and break up Russia, which they have always dreamed about, to divide our state and set our peoples against each other, and to condemn them to poverty and extinction. They cannot rest easy knowing that there is such a great country with this huge territory in the world, with its natural wealth, resources and people who cannot and will not do someone else’s bidding.
Washington demands more and more sanctions against Russia and the majority of European politicians obediently go along with it. They clearly understand that by pressuring the EU to completely give up Russian energy and other resources, the United States is practically pushing Europe toward deindustrialisation in a bid to get its hands on the entire European market. These European elites understand everything – they do, but they prefer to serve the interests of others. This is no longer servility but direct betrayal of their own peoples. God bless, it is up to them.
But the Anglo-Saxons believe sanctions are no longer enough and now they have turned to subversion. It seems incredible but it is a fact – by causing explosions on Nord Stream’s international gas pipelines passing along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, they have actually embarked on the destruction of Europe’s entire energy infrastructure. It is clear to everyone who stands to gain. Those who benefit are responsible, of course.
There is so much more. Read it. Putin’s speech marks the beginning of a period in human history which will probably decide the fates of most people on the planet, of that I am sure.
Great to have found your substack column, Jaime. Such a pity when Twitter removed your account. Your incisive postings were much missed.
A useful multi-thread summary of Putin’s speech is available here: https://twitter.com/KonstantinKisin/status/1575853684852150272?s=09.
It is very revealing that Putin seems to be less concerned with NATO expansion than with the way the West seeks to enslave and colonise other nations.
It is incredible that our servile politicians have accepted Biden’s sabotage of Nord Stream, a critical if ill-advised element of Europe’s energy infrastructure, with barely a murmur. The lack of outrage from our politicians and the complicit MSM against this shocking act which will cause much grief for many years to come gives a clear indication that they know that the USA did it.
Putin comes across as “a good guy” relative to our lying, psychopathic Western leaders.