{"id":214807,"date":"2022-06-13T12:00:12","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T11:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=214807"},"modified":"2022-06-09T09:12:41","modified_gmt":"2022-06-09T08:12:41","slug":"rossiya-tv-interviews-vladimir-putin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2022\/06\/rossiya-tv-interviews-vladimir-putin\/","title":{"rendered":"Rossiya TV Interviews Vladimir Putin"},"content":{"rendered":"

3 Jun 2022 – The Russian\u00a0President answered questions from Pavel Zarubin of\u00a0Rossyia 1 TV channel.\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The President answered questions from Pavel Zarubin of Rossyia 1 TV channel.<\/p><\/div>\n

************<\/p>\n

This extensive interview on the global as well as European resource crisis provides more than statement of Russia’s perspective. It also frames issues structurally that need to be addressed in every capital and policy arena. Its factual detail should be checked for validity, of course, and the assignment of responsibility carefully considered. It should be noted that several of those details will come as a surprise to those who rely on Western MSM for their information. (For example, it was Ukraine that mined the waters off Odessa – not Russia as claimed by a headline story in yesterday’s <\/em>NYT which is wholly fallacious). However we judge the actions of Russia, and others, I see no advantage in having a political elite – including those in power – who wear their ignorance as some sort of insignia of rank.<\/em> — Prof. Michael Brenner<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

************<\/p>\n

Pavel Zarubin:<\/b> Mr President, we have just followed your meeting with the\u00a0head of\u00a0Senegal who is also the\u00a0current leader of\u00a0the\u00a0African Union. He expressed, and\u00a0actually in\u00a0the\u00a0past week many countries have expressed concern not so much about the\u00a0food crisis, but they are afraid of\u00a0large-scale famine because world food prices are climbing and\u00a0so are oil and\u00a0gas prices, These issues are interrelated.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Naturally, the\u00a0West blames Russia for\u00a0this, too. What is the\u00a0real situation at\u00a0this point, how is it developing? And\u00a0what do you think will happen in\u00a0the\u00a0food and\u00a0energy markets?<\/p>\n

President of\u00a0Russia Vladimir Putin:<\/b> Yes, indeed, we are seeing attempts to\u00a0place the\u00a0responsibility on\u00a0Russia for\u00a0developments in\u00a0the\u00a0global food market and\u00a0the\u00a0growing problems there. I\u00a0must say that this is another attempt to\u00a0pin the\u00a0blame on\u00a0someone else. But why?<\/p>\n

First, the\u00a0situation with the\u00a0global food market did not become worse yesterday or\u00a0even with the\u00a0launch of\u00a0Russia\u2019s special military operation in\u00a0Donbass, in\u00a0Ukraine.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0situation took a\u00a0downturn in\u00a0February 2020 during the\u00a0efforts to\u00a0counter the\u00a0coronavirus pandemic when the\u00a0global economy was down and\u00a0had to\u00a0be revived.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0financial and\u00a0economic authorities in\u00a0the\u00a0United States, of\u00a0all things, found nothing better than to\u00a0allocate large amounts of\u00a0money to\u00a0support the\u00a0population and\u00a0certain businesses and\u00a0economic sectors.<\/p>\n

We generally did almost the\u00a0same thing, but I\u00a0assure you that we were much more accurate, and\u00a0the\u00a0results are obvious: we did this selectively and\u00a0got the\u00a0desired results without affecting macroeconomic indicators, including excessive inflation growth.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0situation was quite different in\u00a0the\u00a0United States. The\u00a0money supply in\u00a0the\u00a0United States grew by\u00a05.9 trillion in\u00a0less than two years, from February 2020 to\u00a0the\u00a0end of\u00a02021\u00a0\u2013 unprecedented productivity of\u00a0the\u00a0money printing machines. The\u00a0total cash supply grew by\u00a038.6 percent.<\/p>\n

Apparently, the\u00a0US financial authorities believed the\u00a0dollar was a\u00a0global currency, and\u00a0it would spread, as\u00a0usual, as\u00a0it did in\u00a0previous years, would dissolve in\u00a0the\u00a0global economy, and\u00a0the\u00a0United States would not even feel it. But that did not happen, not this time. As\u00a0a\u00a0matter of\u00a0fact, decent people\u00a0\u2013 and\u00a0there are such people in\u00a0the\u00a0United States\u00a0\u2013 the\u00a0Secretary of\u00a0the\u00a0Treasury recently said they had made a\u00a0mistake. So, it was a\u00a0mistake made by\u00a0the\u00a0US financial and\u00a0economic authorities\u00a0\u2013 it has nothing to\u00a0do with Russia’s actions in\u00a0Ukraine, it is totally unrelated.<\/p>\n

And\u00a0that was the\u00a0first step\u00a0\u2013 and\u00a0a\u00a0big one\u00a0\u2013 towards the\u00a0current unfavourable food market situation, because, in\u00a0the\u00a0first place, food prices immediately went up, they grew. This is the\u00a0first reason.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0second reason was European countries\u2019 short-sighted policies, and\u00a0above all, the\u00a0European Commission\u2019s policy in\u00a0regard to\u00a0energy. We see what is going on\u00a0there. Personally, I\u00a0believe that many political players in\u00a0the\u00a0United States and\u00a0Europe have been taking advantage of\u00a0people\u2019s natural concerns about the\u00a0climate, climate change, and\u00a0they began to\u00a0promote this green agenda, including in\u00a0the\u00a0energy sector.<\/p>\n

It all seems fine, except for\u00a0the\u00a0unqualified and\u00a0groundless recommendations about what needs to\u00a0be done in\u00a0the\u00a0energy sector. The\u00a0capabilities of\u00a0alternative types of\u00a0energy are overestimated: solar, wind, any other types, hydrogen power\u00a0\u2013 those are good prospects for\u00a0the\u00a0future, probably, but today, they cannot be produced in\u00a0the\u00a0required amount, with the\u00a0required quality and\u00a0at\u00a0acceptable prices. And\u00a0at\u00a0the\u00a0same time, they began to\u00a0belittle the\u00a0importance of\u00a0conventional types of\u00a0energy, including, and\u00a0above all, hydrocarbons.<\/p>\n

What was the\u00a0result of\u00a0this? Banks stopped issuing loans because they were under pressure. Insurance companies stopped insuring deals. Local authorities stopped allocating plots of\u00a0land for\u00a0expanding production and\u00a0reduced the\u00a0construction of\u00a0special transport, including pipelines.<\/p>\n

All this led to\u00a0a\u00a0shortage of\u00a0investment in\u00a0the\u00a0world energy sector and\u00a0price hikes as\u00a0a\u00a0result. The\u00a0wind was not as\u00a0strong as\u00a0expected during the\u00a0past year, winter dragged on, and\u00a0prices instantly soared.<\/p>\n

On\u00a0top of\u00a0all that, the\u00a0Europeans did not listen to\u00a0our persistent requests to\u00a0preserve long-term contracts for\u00a0the\u00a0delivery of\u00a0natural gas to\u00a0European countries. They started to\u00a0wind them down. Many are still valid, but they started winding them down. This had a\u00a0negative effect on\u00a0the\u00a0European energy market: the\u00a0prices went up. Russia has absolutely nothing to\u00a0do with this.<\/p>\n

But as\u00a0soon as\u00a0gas prices started going up, fertiliser prices followed suit because gas is used to\u00a0produce some of\u00a0these fertilisers. Everything is interconnected. As\u00a0soon as\u00a0fertiliser prices started growing, many businesses, including those in\u00a0European countries, became unprofitable and\u00a0started shutting down altogether. The\u00a0amount of\u00a0fertiliser in\u00a0the\u00a0world market took a\u00a0dive, and\u00a0prices soared dramatically, much to\u00a0the\u00a0surprise of\u00a0many European politicians.<\/p>\n

However, we warned them about this, and\u00a0this is not linked to\u00a0Russia\u2019s military operation in\u00a0Donbass in\u00a0any way. This has nothing to\u00a0do with it.<\/p>\n

But when we launched our operation, our so-called European and\u00a0American partners started taking steps that aggravated the\u00a0situation in\u00a0both the\u00a0food sector and\u00a0fertiliser production.<\/p>\n

By\u00a0the\u00a0way, Russia accounts for\u00a025 percent of\u00a0the\u00a0world fertiliser market. As\u00a0for\u00a0potash fertilisers, Alexander Lukashenko told me this\u00a0\u2013 but we should double-check it, of\u00a0course, although I\u00a0think it is true\u00a0\u2013 when it comes to\u00a0potash fertilisers, Russia and\u00a0Belarus account for\u00a045 percent of\u00a0the\u00a0world market. This is a\u00a0tremendous amount.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0crop yield depends on\u00a0the\u00a0quantity of\u00a0fertiliser put into the\u00a0soil. As\u00a0soon as\u00a0it became clear that our fertilisers would not be in\u00a0the\u00a0world market, prices instantly soared on\u00a0both fertilisers and\u00a0food products because if there are no fertilisers, it is impossible to\u00a0produce the\u00a0required amount of\u00a0agricultural products.<\/p>\n

One thing leads to\u00a0another, and\u00a0Russia has nothing to\u00a0do with it. Our partners made a\u00a0host of\u00a0mistakes themselves, and\u00a0now they are looking for\u00a0someone to\u00a0blame. Of\u00a0course, Russia is the\u00a0most suitable candidate in\u00a0this respect.<\/p>\n

Pavel Zarubin: Incidentally, it has just been reported that the wife of the head of our largest fertiliser companies has been included in the new European package of sanctions. What will all this lead to\u00a0in\u00a0your opinion?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vladimir Putin:<\/b> This will make a\u00a0bad situation worse.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0British and\u00a0later the\u00a0Americans\u00a0\u2013 Anglo-Saxons\u00a0\u2013 imposed sanctions on\u00a0our fertilisers. Then, having realised what was happening, the\u00a0Americans lifted their sanctions, but the\u00a0Europeans did not. They are telling me themselves during contacts: yes, we must think about it, we must do something about it, but today they have just aggravated this situation.<\/p>\n

This will make the\u00a0situation in\u00a0the\u00a0world fertiliser market worse, and\u00a0hence the\u00a0crop prospects will be much more modest, and\u00a0prices will keep going up\u00a0\u2013 that is it. This is an\u00a0absolutely myopic, erroneous, I\u00a0would say, simply stupid policy that leads to\u00a0a\u00a0deadlock.<\/p>\n

Pavel Zarubin:<\/b> But Russia is accused by\u00a0high-ranking officials of\u00a0preventing the\u00a0grain that is actually there, in\u00a0Ukrainian ports, from leaving.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vladimir Putin:<\/b> They are bluffing, and\u00a0I\u00a0will explain why.<\/p>\n

First, there are some objective things, and\u00a0I\u00a0will mention them now. The\u00a0world produces about 800 million tonnes of\u00a0grain, wheat per year. Now we are being told that Ukraine is ready to\u00a0export 20 million tonnes. So, 20 million tonnes out of\u00a0800 million tonnes amounts to\u00a02.5 percent. But if we proceed from the\u00a0fact that wheat accounts for\u00a0merely 20 percent of\u00a0all food products in\u00a0the\u00a0world\u00a0\u2013 and\u00a0this is the\u00a0case, this is not our data, it comes from the\u00a0UN\u00a0\u2013 this means that these 20 million tonnes of\u00a0Ukrainian wheat are just 0.5 percent, practically nothing. This is the\u00a0first point.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0second. 20 million tonnes of\u00a0Ukrainian wheat are potential exports. Today, the\u00a0US official bodies also say that Ukraine could export six million tonnes of\u00a0wheat. According to\u00a0our Ministry of\u00a0Agriculture, the\u00a0figure is not six but about five million tonnes, but okay, let us assume it is six, plus it could export seven million tonnes of\u00a0maize\u00a0\u2013 this is the\u00a0figure of\u00a0our Ministry of\u00a0Agriculture. We realise that this is not much.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0the\u00a0current agricultural year of\u00a02021\u20132022, we will export 37 million and, I\u00a0believe, we will raise these exports to\u00a050 million tonnes in\u00a02022\u20132023. But this is apropos, by\u00a0the\u00a0way.<\/p>\n

As\u00a0for\u00a0shipping out Ukrainian grain, we are not preventing this. There are several ways to\u00a0export grain.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0first one. You can ship it out via the\u00a0Ukraine-controlled ports, primarily in\u00a0the\u00a0Black Sea\u00a0\u2013 Odessa and\u00a0nearby ports. We did not mine the\u00a0approaches to\u00a0the\u00a0port\u00a0\u2013 Ukraine did this.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0have already said to\u00a0all our colleagues many times\u00a0\u2013 let them demine the\u00a0ports and\u00a0let the\u00a0vessels loaded with grain leave. We will guarantee their peaceful passage to\u00a0international waters without any problems. There are no problems at\u00a0all. Go ahead.<\/p>\n

They must clear the\u00a0mines and\u00a0raise the\u00a0ships they sunk on\u00a0purpose in\u00a0the\u00a0Black Sea to\u00a0make it difficult to\u00a0enter the\u00a0ports to\u00a0the\u00a0south of\u00a0Ukraine. We are ready to\u00a0do this; we will not use the\u00a0demining process to\u00a0initiate an\u00a0attack from the\u00a0sea. I\u00a0have already said this. This is the\u00a0first point.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0second. There is another opportunity: the\u00a0ports in\u00a0the\u00a0Sea of\u00a0Azov\u00a0\u2013 Berdyansk and\u00a0Mariupol\u00a0\u2013 are under our control, and\u00a0we are ready to\u00a0ensure a\u00a0problem-free exit from these ports, including for\u00a0exported Ukrainian grain. Go ahead, please.<\/p>\n

We are already working on\u00a0the\u00a0demining process. We are completing this work\u00a0\u2013 at\u00a0one time, Ukrainian troops laid three layers of\u00a0mines. This process is coming to\u00a0an\u00a0end. We will create the\u00a0necessary logistics. This is not a\u00a0problem; we will do this. This is the\u00a0second point.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0third. It is possible to\u00a0move grain from Ukraine via the\u00a0Danube and\u00a0through Romania.<\/p>\n

Fourth. It is also possible through Hungary.<\/p>\n

And\u00a0fifth, it is also possible to\u00a0do this via Poland. Yes, there are some technical problems because the\u00a0tracks are of\u00a0different gauges and\u00a0the\u00a0wheel bogies must be changed. But this only takes a\u00a0few hours, that is all.<\/p>\n

Finally, the\u00a0easiest way is to\u00a0transport grain via Belarus. This is the\u00a0easiest and\u00a0the\u00a0cheapest way because from there it can be instantly shipped to\u00a0the\u00a0Baltic ports and\u00a0further on\u00a0to\u00a0any place in\u00a0the\u00a0world.<\/p>\n

But they would have to\u00a0lift the\u00a0sanctions from Belarus. This is not our problem though. At\u00a0any rate, President of\u00a0Belarus Alexander Lukashenko puts it like this: if someone wants to\u00a0resolve the\u00a0problem of\u00a0exporting Ukrainian grain, if this problem exists at\u00a0all, please use the\u00a0simplest way\u00a0\u2013 through Belarus. No one will stop you.<\/p>\n

So, the\u00a0problem of\u00a0shipping grain out of\u00a0Ukraine does not really exist.<\/p>\n

Pavel Zarubin: How would the\u00a0logistics work to\u00a0ship it from the\u00a0ports under our control? What would the\u00a0conditions be?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vladimir Putin:<\/b> No conditions.<\/p>\n

They are welcome. We will provide peaceful passage, guarantee safe approaches to\u00a0these ports, and\u00a0ensure the\u00a0safe entry of\u00a0foreign ships and\u00a0passage through the\u00a0Sea of\u00a0Azov and\u00a0the\u00a0Black Sea in\u00a0any direction.<\/p>\n

By\u00a0the\u00a0way, several ships are stuck in\u00a0Ukrainian ports at\u00a0this point. These are foreign ships, dozens of\u00a0them. They are simply locked up and\u00a0their crews are still being held hostage.<\/p>\n

Go to Original – kremlin.ru<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

3 Jun 2022 – This extensive interview on the global as well as European resource crisis provides more than statement of Russia’s perspective. It also frames issues structurally that need to be addressed in every capital and policy arena… However we judge the actions of Russia, and others, I see no advantage in having a political elite – including those in power – who wear their ignorance as some sort of insignia of rank. — Prof. Michael Brenner<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":214810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[2877,253,961,481],"class_list":["post-214807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-kremlin","tag-putin","tag-ukraine","tag-warfare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}