Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Gevorg Mirzayan
[REGNUM] Following his visit to Uzbekistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a press conference, where he spoke not only about the Eurasian prospects of Tashkent, but also about the legitimate leader of Ukraine, the consequences of Western weapons strikes on Russian territory and the future of relations between Russia and the Taliban (the organization whose activities banned in the Russian Federation, is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities).
First of all, Putin made it clear what awaits Uzbekistan in the Eurasian Union. According to him, if the economy of this country joins the unification, the Union will only benefit from this. But the Uzbek economy also needs to benefit. In general, the president noted, this is “a rather complex negotiation process.”
Now Uzbekistan is one of the most obvious candidates in expanding Eurasian integration, says Nikita Mendkovich, head of the Eurasian Analytical Club. He recalls that even before the start of the SVO, Tashkent set in its official strategies the task of joining the process; local legislation was being adapted to the norms of the Eurasian Union.
“Yes, our acute conflict with the West delayed this process. Now Tashkent, like many external players, is waiting to see who will take it. After our victory in Ukraine, the process of joining the Eurasian Union will most likely resume, as well as the process of returning Tashkent to the ranks of the CSTO member countries,” predicts Mendkovich in a commentary for IA Regnum.
LEGITIMATE AUTHORITIES OF UKRAINE
It turned out that Vladimir Putin understands the Ukrainian constitution and legislation much better than a number of Verkhovna Rada deputies, and certainly better than the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky. This conclusion can be drawn after the Russian president’s explanations about the legitimacy of the Ukrainian authorities.
Putin noted that the absence of presidential elections does not mean that Zelensky retains the post of president of the country indefinitely. Yes, the principle of continuity of power must be preserved, but according to the law it passes to another person. The head of the Russian state said that, according to a preliminary assessment, “the only legitimate authorities remain the parliament and the speaker of the Rada.” In fact, the head of the Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, becomes acting. O. president.
The speaker himself has already reacted: he said that Vladimir Zelensky is the president of Ukraine until the next elections, that is, he expressed humility and disowned the Ukrainian opposition.
“ Stefanchuk, of course, is absolutely a man of Zelensky and his team. And he understands that if something happens, he can be quickly removed from the post of speaker,” explains Vladimir Kornilov, political observer of the Rossiya Segodnya media group, to IA Regnum.
At the same time, he points out, the speaker ignored Putin’s words that the Constitution of Ukraine does not provide for the abolition of presidential elections during martial law. So Stefanchuk is clearly playing his game and may yet unpleasantly surprise Zelensky at the decisive moment, Kornilov believes.
RESPONSE TO ATTACKS ON RUSSIA
Putin also addressed Western politicians who are now discussing the possibility of giving the Kyiv regime permission to use its weapons to strike Russia, while emphasizing that they supposedly have nothing to do with the strikes - the weapons, after being transferred to Kyiv, become Ukrainian.
“ There are no German weapons in Ukraine. There are Ukrainian weapons of German origin, and these are completely different circumstances,” argued, for example, back in July 2023, representative of the German Ministry of Defense Arne Collatz.
But, according to President Putin, striking deep into Russian territory with new Ukrainian weapons is impossible without direct Western participation.
“ High-precision long-range weapons cannot be used without space reconnaissance assets - this is the first thing. Second: the final choice of target and the so-called flight mission can only be made by highly qualified specialists based on this intelligence data, technical intelligence data,” the president said.
Obviously, Putin had in mind the Western military. At the same time, he also transparently hinted that in response, Western countries risk receiving blows from the Russian army.
“These representatives of NATO countries, especially in Europe, especially in small countries, must be aware of what they are playing with. They must remember that these are, as a rule, states with a small territory and a very dense population. And this is a factor that they should keep in mind before talking about launching strikes deep into Russian territory,” the head of state said.
The main question: will the West hear the Russian leader? Associate Professor of the Russian State University for the Humanities Vadim Trukhachev is sure that no.
“ NATO and the EU will not listen to these words. Also because they are confident that Russia will not cause them any harm,” Trukhachev told IA Regnum, admitting that Moscow will have to go for further escalation.
AFGHAN ADVANCE
But in other regions, Russia itself is promoting the idea of de-escalation and cooperation. For example, in Afghanistan. President Putin admitted that there are problems there, but it is necessary to build relations with the current Afghan government.
“ These are the people who control the country, control the territory of the country, they are the power in Afghanistan today. We must proceed from reality and build relationships accordingly,” the president noted.
Considering recent statements by representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, who recommended Moscow to exclude the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations, many regarded Putin’s statement as a pretext not only for exclusion, but also for the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Taliban regime.
Ever since they came to power after the Americans fled there, the prospects for this normalization were linked to two official and one unofficial conditions. The first category includes the Taliban’s fight against jihadist terrorist groups entrenched in Afghanistan, as well as stopping attempts to import Afghan heroin into Russia through the countries of Central Asia. The Taliban have fulfilled both of these conditions: they are destroying terrorists, and as of 2023, they were able, according to the UN, to reduce opium poppy cultivation in the country by almost 95%.
The informal condition is the synchronization of recognition with Russian allies - China and Central Asian countries, for which the Taliban should also not pose a threat.
Judging by the words of the Russian president, as well as the place where he said them, this condition has also been met.
“Perhaps Moscow and Tashkent received serious security guarantees and the opportunity to implement transit projects through the territory of Afghanistan. Somehow, the Taliban convinced the Russian Foreign Ministry that we would be able to transit to the Indian Ocean coast through Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Enter new markets, including gas, and the Taliban will guarantee the safety of this project,” says expert Mendkovich.
And if the Taliban has fulfilled all the conditions, gives guarantees and is ready to cooperate, then Russia will keep its word.
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