Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Via AP news wire

Putin touts Russian economy, says Ukraine's president is 'shame to Jewish people'

Photo host Agency RIA Novosti

President Vladimir Putin on Friday touted Russia's prospects at the country's main international economic forum despite heavy international sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine.

Western officials and investors steered clear of this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that for decades has been Russia’s premier event for attracting foreign capital and is sometimes likened to the Davos World Economic Forum.

The Kremlin earlier also banned journalists from countries that Russia regards as “unfriendly” from covering the proceedings that began Wednesday and continue through Saturday. Moscow has imposed that designation on scores of countries including the United States, Canada, European Union members and Australia in connection with sanctions imposed over the fighting in Ukraine.

Nonetheless, Putin said at the forum's plenary session, "We haven’t turned onto the self-isolation path. Quite the opposite — we have widened contacts with reliable and responsible partners in the countries and regions that serve as the engine, the drivers of the world’s economy today. I’d like to reiterate: These are the markets of the future; everyone clearly understands it.”

Officials did not provide a list of foreign businesses attending, but the program for the more than 100 panel discussions showed a marked majority of speakers hailing from Russia.

While one of the panel sessions listed in the program touted Russia as a “global tech hub,” descriptions of others tacitly admitted Moscow’s growing economic isolation since its troops moved into Ukraine last February.

Putin also vehemently defended Russia's sending troops into Ukraine and repeated his claims that the Ukrainian government is a neo-Nazi regime, despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Jewish roots.

“My Jewish friends say that Zelenskyy is not a Jew, but a shame to the Jewish people,” Putin said.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.