Latest news with #BusinessRussia
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
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.'
Russia Today
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine catching men ‘like dogs on the street'
Ukrainian recruitment officials have been catching would-be soldiers 'like dogs' in the country's streets, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. Putin made the remarks on Tuesday during a meeting with members of 'Business Russia,' during which he noted that Russia has been enjoying a steady flow of volunteers to fight against Ukraine. 'While the Kiev authorities are engaged in forced mobilization – people are caught like dogs on the street, then our guys go voluntarily, they go themselves… They are catching 30 thousand people there now, and we have 50-60 thousand a month enlisting willingly,' Putin said. Ukraine launched a general mobilization following the escalation of the conflict with Russia in early 2022, barring most men aged between 18 and 60 years old from leaving the country and setting the conscription age at 27. Last year, faced with mounting losses and manpower shortages, Kiev lowered the limit to 25, while introducing stricter penalties for draft dodgers and simplifying other mobilization rules. Mobilization in Ukraine has grown increasingly chaotic and violent over the course of the conflict, with numerous videos circulating online showing enlistment officers, frequently backed by civilian police, chasing would-be recruits in the streets, brawling and threatening them with military-grade weaponry. The Ukrainian mobilization effort has become popularly known as the 'busification' - describing the process of violently packing recruits into minibuses, which are commonly used by enlistment officials. While top Ukrainian officials have repeatedly rejected allegations of issues around mobilization as 'Russian propaganda,' last month the country's military admitted the process has run into certain shortcomings. 'Busification is a shameful phenomenon, and we're doing our best to avoid it,' deputy head of Ukraine's Defense Ministry Lt. Gen. Ivan Gavrilyuk has said. This year, Kiev launched an enrollment campaign aimed at men aged 18 to 24 who are not subject to compulsory service. The centerpiece of the drive is a one million hryvnia ($24,000) fee for one year of service offered to the younger volunteers. The campaign has been promoted with assorted propaganda videos and posters, which usually focus on this sum and calculate it into items, supposedly appealing to the youth, including servings of fast food and online game currencies.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Putin tells potential returning investors an apology is not enough
The Kremlin intends to set high barriers for the potential return of foreign investors who fled Russia at the start of the war against Ukraine. It is important to consider how these companies behaved after their departure, and whether they, for instance, helped Ukraine, Putin said during a meeting with the association Business Russia. The Russian leader dismissed the suggestion that returnees should apologize as insufficient. "Oh no. That is by no means enough," said Putin. Western company executives should immediately apologize if they expected advantages in Russia from doing so, he said. Russian corporations need to be protected from strong competition. Therefore, a pragmatic assessment of benefits is necessary, he added. If it is advantageous for Russia for a particular company to come, then Moscow must let them in; otherwise, any pretext is valid to deny them entry, Putin said. In most cases, this can be reconciled with WTO rules - and otherwise, Russia "will argue in court for at least 15 years," said the 72-year-old president. After the war against Ukraine ordered by Putin, many Western companies left Russia due to sanctions imposed by Europe and the United States. Despite the mass exodus, the Russian economy has continued to grow by pivoting toward war production. Officially, Russian authorities remain confident that many foreign investors will eventually return once the conflict is resolved, although no companies have publicly announced concrete plans to do so.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Putin mocks the West's 'moron' leaders for hitting Russia with sanctions and 'tipping their own countries into recession'
Vladimir Putin today ridiculed the West's 'moron' leaders threatening him with new sanctions if he refuses to fly to Turkey on Thursday for ceasefire negotiations with Volodymyr Zelensky. Speaking at a meeting of Russia 's top businessmen at the 20th Congress of the 'Business Russia' organisation, Putin said of Western countries: 'You'd think they wouldn't do this or that, since it clearly hurts them - but nope, they still do it. Then, in what appeared to be a rare moment of emotion from the Russian leader, he exclaimed: 'Morons!' The surprising declaration was met with laughter from the captive audience as Putin went on to apologise: 'Oh, I am sorry… 'But, look, it's like this - the world's top economies are tipping into recession just to spite us.' Western leaders have lined up to warn the Russian President that his country will face yet more sanctions if he fails to engage in peace talks in Turkey. So far, there is no sign Putin will attend - despite Donald Trump indicating he could fly in to meet his Russian counterpart. The White House is also dispatching special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg to participate in the talks. Ukraine's President has said he will only negotiate directly with Putin after weeks of talks between Ukrainian and US delegations yielded no progress. Zelensky today told reporters in Kyiv he will be ready and waiting alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday to receive Putin. If Putin chooses Istanbul to hold the meeting, then both leaders will travel there from Ankara. Zelensky declared he would 'do everything to agree on a ceasefire, because it is with (Putin) that I must negotiate a ceasefire, as only he can decide on it. 'If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war,' Zelensky said, adding that he would expect allies to unveil 'the strongest sanctions package' against Russia should talks not progress on Thursday. 'I am ready for the meeting. I met this person in 2019, in December. I absolutely understand what to talk about - the truth is on our side.' Despite earlier vowing never to negotiate with Putin, he said: 'I think we need to take the first step, for the sake of the people. 'And the whole world is already supporting this, first of all, for the sake of the Ukrainians. Everyone wants the war to end. 'We want to agree on the beginning of the end of the war. At least the beginning.' European leaders have thrown their support behind Zelensky ahead of direct peace talks. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: 'We are waiting for Putin's agreement [to negotiations and a ceasefire] and we agree that if there is no real progress this week, we want to work together at the European level to significantly strengthen the sanctions.' Turkey - the only NATO member state that is not on Russia's list of 'unfriendly countries' is seen as a relatively neutral third party suitable for hosting talks between the warring nations. Putin is said to have a good personal relationship with Turkey's Erdogan, himself an autocrat who has long been in power, and Turkey's energy sector is heavily reliant on the provision of Russian gas and nuclear technology. But Turkey has by no means backed Russia in its war on Ukraine. Ankara has said it does not recognise Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory and has supported Kyiv's bid for NATO membership. Turkey has also sold a host of military technology, including the highly effective Bayraktar TB2 attack drone, to Kyiv. Both Moscow and Kyiv have sought to show they are working towards peace after Trump prioritised ending the war, which has raged since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but have yet to agree any clear path. Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine, hosted and mediated by Turkey, after ignoring a Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. Trump publicly told Zelensky to accept the proposal. The Ukrainian President quickly obliged and challenged Putin to enter direct, face-to-face talks. The Kremlin chief had never made clear that he intended to travel himself but Zelensky has now called his bluff. Asked who would represent Russia at the talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: 'As soon as the president sees fit, we will announce it.' Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying Moscow was ready for serious talks on Ukraine but doubted Kyiv's capacity for negotiations. The agencies quoted him as saying realities 'on the ground' should be recognised, including the incorporation of what Moscow calls 'new territories' into Russia - a reference to territory in Ukraine that is occupied by Russian forces. US officials want Russia a comprehensive 30-day land, air, sea and critical infrastructure ceasefire, a senior official in Washington said.
