The Russian president added that all of the Kremlin’s actions – which he calls a special military operation – were designed to strengthen his country’s sovereignty and were aimed at “helping the people” living in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region. It comes after military analysts said Russia had failed in its original goal of capturing Kyiv in a “lightning strike” move and that the country has lost thousands of troops and military hardware. Putin claimed that Russia had not “started” any military operations, but was simply trying to end those that began in 2014, following a Ukrainian “coup” that led to an “illegal regime”. While he did not specifically mention Ukraine, he also denied that Russia had violated international law, despite Ukrainian police investigating more than 26,000 allegations. And he attacked the UK, saying the way Britain chooses its leaders was “far from democratic”, a day after Liz Truss – who was chosen by party members to lead the Conservatives – replaced Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. The Russian president said: “We have lost nothing and will not lose anything. “Of course, there is a certain polarization, both in the world and at home, but I believe that this will only be beneficial, because everything that is unnecessary, harmful and … prevents us from moving forward will be rejected. “ Putin was speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok, where he said it would be “impossible” to isolate Russia, despite Western sanctions that have meant his country is now the most sanctioned country in the world. He said Moscow would defy Western efforts to push Russia off the world stage and look to markets in the Middle East and Iran instead. He accused the West of “economic and technological aggression” and admitted that while Russia’s economy was dealing with sanctions, there were some difficulties in some industries and regions. Mr Putin said Russia would have no problem selling its vast energy resources around the world, which came as officials said the Russian leader would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next week at a summit in Uzbekistan. Responding to Russia’s shunning of Western businesses following the invasion of Ukraine, Mr Putin added: “In the spring, many foreign companies rushed to leave Russia, believing that our country will suffer from this more than others. they see production and jobs in Europe closing one after the other. “The competitiveness of European businesses is being reduced because the EU authorities themselves are depriving them of available raw materials, energy resources and sales markets. “In an attempt to resist the course of history, Western countries are undermining the main pillars of the global economic system, built over centuries.” Many analysts said rising inflation in countries around the world, including the UK, was being fueled by the Ukraine war, with Europe’s withdrawal from the Russian gas grid sending energy prices soaring. In her first speech as prime minister, Liz Truss addressed the aftermath of the war and said the UK could “weather the storm”. Mr Putin also claimed Russia and the developing world had been “cheated” by a landmark grain deal meant to ease a looming food crisis and said he would seek to revise its terms as “almost all grain exported from Ukraine are not sent to the poorest developing countries, but to the countries of the European Union”.
