Putin blasts West's ‘moron' leaders for hitting Russia with sanctions
Vladimir Putin blasted the West's 'moron' leaders for threatening Russia with new sanctions if he refuses to meet Volodymyr Zelensky for ceasefire negotiations on Thursday.
Speaking at the 20th Congress of the Business Russia Organisation on Tuesday (13 May), Putin said: 'You'd think they wouldn't do this or that, since it clearly hurts them, but nope, they still do it.'
He then exclaimed: 'Morons!'
His comment was met with laughter from the audience, before Putin went on to apologise, adding: 'The world's top economies are tipping into recession just to spite us.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Penny Wong slammed by US Secretary of State after introducing sanctions on Israeli officials
Australia has come under fire from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for backing sanctions against two senior Israeli officials, accusing it of turning a blind eye to the 'real enemy'. Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced on Wednesday the targeted sanctions in a joint statement alongside her counterparts from Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. The measures - which include travel bans and financial sanctions - are against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have been accused of inciting 'extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights'. Mr Ben-Gvir, from the Jewish Power party, and Mr Smotrich, of the Religious Zionism Party, are members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's coalition government. Mr Rubio on Wednesday said that he conemns the move, 'These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,' he said. 'We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. 'We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. Asked about Mr Rubio's condemnation of the sanctions, the foreign minister said that despite their differences Australia and the US remained aligned on strategic interests. 'We will continue to be part of the international call for aid to enter (Gaza) unhindered, unimpeded,' Senator Wong said. 'That is Israel's obligation. 'These two ministers have been the most extremist and hard line of an extremist settler enterprise, which is both unlawful and violent. 'Australia can't shift the dial on the Middle East by ourselves. 'What we can do is act with others, and that's what we've done.' 'We will continue to advocate for a ceasefire and the return of hostages, and we will continue to condemn Hamas and its terrorist ideology.' Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the sanctions 'outrageous' and said his government would hold a meeting early next week to decide how to respond to the 'unacceptable decision' made by the five countries. Although the sanctions focus on the West Bank, the foreign ministers said 'this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza'. The Australian Jewish Association said it was appalled by the federal government's actions and accused it of anti-Semitism. 'This action represents a hostile and unjustified attack on a democratic ally and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,' CEO Robert Gregory said. 'This government's willingness to engage with authoritarian regimes... while targeting the world's only Jewish state, exposes a disturbing double standard. 'There is no other explanation for this disparity than blatant antisemitism.' 'This government's willingness to engage with authoritarian regimes, including Holocaust deniers like Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, while targeting the world's only Jewish state, exposes a disturbing double standard. 'There is no other explanation for this disparity than blatant anti-semitism.' The Australian Centre for International Justice said the decision was a significant step and would send a clear message. 'These measures directly respond to the compelling evidence implicating Ben-Gvir and Smotrich in inciting extremist violence and serious human rights violations against Palestinians,' acting executive director Lara Khider said.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Australia sanctions two Israeli ministers over 'violent' West Bank settlements
Australia's foreign affairs minister Penny Wong announces that Australia will join key allies in sanctioning two Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, for inciting violence against Palestinians. 'They are the most extreme proponents of the unlawful and violent settlement enterprise,' Wong tells reporters at a press conference on Wednesday morning
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Deaths in Kharkiv as Russia continues strikes on civilian targets
At least two people were killed and 28 injured in an overnight Russian drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday morning. 'Seventeen strikes by enemy UAVs were carried out in two districts of the city this night,' said the Kharkiv mayor, Igor Terekhov. More than 15 apartments were on fire in a five-storey building and several houses were hit. Terekhov added 'there may be people trapped under the rubble'. Separately the death toll rose to at least three with 13 wounded after Russia attacked Kyiv and Odesa with waves of drones and missiles early on Tuesday. The civilian targets hit included a maternity ward and a cathedral. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, voiced his frustration with Donald Trump by calling for 'concrete actions' rather than 'silence' after seven of the Ukrainian capital's 10 districts were hit, writes Daniel Boffey from Kyiv. Another exchange of prisoners of war took place on Tuesday, after a swap on Monday, pursuant to the only tangible deal struck at the most recent Ukraine-Russia talks in Turkey. Among them were soldiers captured in the battle for Mariupol over three years ago, said Ukrainian authorities. All of those freed had severe injuries and illnesses, including amputated limbs and vision problems. Russia's defence ministry said it also received a group of soldiers. Amina Ivanchenko was reunited on Monday with her husband, a PoW for 18 months, in the initial release. She said was grateful to Ukrainian officials for supporting her. 'My struggle was much easier thanks to them. Our country will definitely return everyone. Glory to Ukraine! Thank you!' The European Commission proposed on Tuesday an 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, aimed at Moscow's energy revenues, its banks and its military industry. Among the measures, Jennifer Rankin writes from Brussels, the commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has proposed that western countries reduce the price at which Russian oil can be sold to $45 (£30) a barrel, down from $60. Oil exports, she added, represented one-third of Russian government revenues. 'We need to cut this source of revenues.' The EU executive also wants to impose restrictions on doing business with the companies involved in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, to prevent them being revived; impose restrictions on doing business with 22 banks, cutting them off from the Swift financial messaging system; and add more ships to the banned 'shadow fleet' list as well as sanctioning oil trading companies. The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said shadow fleet sanctions were having a marked impact. 'When sanctioned, Russia's shadow fleet tankers cannot dock in ports and Russia has to find new vessels. This costs some more and runs down their profits.'
