Ahead
of the official visit to Italy, Vladimir Putin gave
an interview to a leading Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
July 4,
2019
06:00
Question: Relations
between Russia and Italy seem positive. Our government is among
the few in Europe to be pushing for the revision
of sanctions. Yet it is Italy that suffers the largest losses due
to the ban on supplies of various consumer goods introduced
by the Russian government as a countermeasure. Wouldn't it
be a kind gesture on Russia's part to make the first step and start
unilaterally lifting retaliatory sanctions?
President
of Russia Vladimir Putin: Indeed, we enjoy special time-tested
relations with Italy. There is a trusted dialogue with the Italian
leadership. Continuous joint work is underway in the political,
economic, scientific and humanitarian fields. We highly appreciate this
asset of mutual trust and partnership.
Of course,
we kept this in mind. And we had no desire to extend
the restrictions to the economic relations with Italy. But
the thing is, our response measures – in retaliation
for the illegitimate sanctions imposed – were supposed
to be non-discriminative, because otherwise we would face problems
in the World Trade Organisation. I would like to note that
the decisions to impose sanctions against Russia were taken
by the European Commission and supported by all EU
countries.
At the same
time, I would like to stress that the mentioned response
measures are of a local nature and do not hinder,
by and large, the effective development of our investment
and industrial cooperation. None of the Italian companies have
thus withdrawn from the Russian market. At the recent Economic
Forum in Saint-Petersburg, a number of promising bilateral
contracts in the industrial, oil and gas and petrochemical
sectors were signed.
As for the removal
of sanctions, I have spoken on this subject time and time
again. The one behind the sanctions is the one to make
the first step; I am talking about the European Union. After
that, Russia will be able to abolish its countermeasures. It is our hope
that common sense will eventually prevail and Europe will prioritise its
own interests rather than follow instructions given by somebody else. Then
we will be able to develop mutually beneficial, multi-faceted
and forward-looking cooperation.
Question: In today's
world, which seems in certain aspects even more unstable than that
of the Cold War era, Russia-US disarmament arrangements are
in crisis. We are standing on the verge of a new arms
race with its unforeseeable consequences, in spite of what looked
like a good start in your relations with Mr Trump. To what extent
do you think your country is responsible for such development?
Vladimir
Putin: To no extent! The breakdown of the system
of international security began with the US unilateral withdrawal
from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. This instrument was the cornerstone
of the entire arms control architecture.
Just
compare the sum Russia spends on defence – about $48
billion – and the US military budget, which is more than $700
billion. Is there any sign of an actual arms race here? We are not
willing to get dragged into it. But at the same time we must
ensure our security. That is why, we had to develop advanced weapons
and equipment – in response to the increasing military
expenditure and the clearly destructive actions
of the United States.
The situation
with the INF Treaty is a glaring example here. We approached
the US more than once, suggesting that we sort out issues pertaining
to this document, yet we faced the refusal. As a result,
the Americans are destroying yet another important treaty regime.
Prospects
of our cooperation in the field of strategic arms reduction
remain unclear. The START Treaty will expire in early 2021.
At the moment, the US does not seem ready to discuss its
extension or the possibility of elaborating a new
full-scale agreement.
One more
fact should be mentioned here. Last October, we offered the US
to ado
Recently,
the administration in Washington has begun to reflect
on the possibility of restarting our bilateral dialogue
on a broad strategic agenda. I believe that reaching concrete
agreements in the field of ensuring arms control would help
improve international stability. Russia has political will to do this; now
it is for the US to make a decision. I reiterated this
position at our meeting with President Trump on the sidelines
of the G20 Summit in Japan not long ago.
Question: There
is much talking in Russia about NATO's expansion. Many European countries,
particularly those in Eastern Europe, claim that they fear possible acts
of aggression from Moscow. How can these mutual fears be overcome? Can we
hope for new Helsinki agreements? Do you think it possible for Russia
and Italy to jointly put forward a new dialogue initiative, like
the one on creating the NATO-Russia Council, which was launched
in Pratica di Mare in 2002?
Vladimir Putin: To overcome the current unhealthy situation, we have
to abandon the archaic concepts of ‘deterrence’ and ‘bloc
philosophy’ from the Cold War era.
The security
system should be common and indivisible. Such architecture should be based
on the fundamental principles of inter-state relations enshrined
in the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act, including
the non-use of force or the threat of force,
non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states,
and peaceful political settlement of disputes.
We
appreciate the efforts made by Italy to enhance mutual
understanding in the Euro-Atlantic region. We are always open
for joint work with our Italian and other western partners
in countering real security challenges and threats, including
international terrorism, drug trafficking and cybercrime.
Question: A lot
has been said about incidents of interference by Russia-based hackers
during the European Parliamentary elections campaign. Some countries made
explicit accusations against the Russian authorities. What did you say
to that? Don't you think that the issue of interference is
a serious problem in relations with Europe?
Vladimir Putin: The absurd reached its apogee when Russia was accused
of interfering in the American elections. We know well how this
story ended – with a zilch. And the findings
of the Mueller committee that there had been no such collusion were
not surprising – the committee failed to scrape up any evidence
since there could be no evidence in principle.
But here is
the interesting part: the sanctions imposed against our country under
the pretext of those accusations are still in effect.
All
the speculations about Russia's interference in the electoral
processes in the European Union are of the same kind. They
were persistently spread on the eve of the European
elections, as if to give the Europeans a ‘hint’ that it was
”Russia's malicious interference“ which was to blame for such low
results of certain political forces in the elections. Besides,
the authors of such assumptions pursued the same
objective – to continue ‘demonizing’ Russia in the eyes
of ordinary Europeans.
Let me
emphasize: we have never interfered in the internal affairs
of the European Union member states or any other states
and we are not going to. This is what makes us markedly different from
the US and some of its allies which, for instance,
supported the coup d’état in Ukraine in February 2014.
We are
interested in restoring full-fledged interaction between Russia
and the EU and maintaining peace, security and stability
on the continent we share. We are ready for constructive
collaboration with all political forces that received mandate from European
voters.
Question: What
kind of relations does Russia have with the League party
of Matteo Salvini? Do you consider him the Italian leader to be
reckoned with? How would you describe your relationship with Silvio Berlusconi?
Vladimir
Putin: Contacts with political parties of foreign states are generally
maintained at the party level. Thus, Italy's League and our
United Russia interact within the framework of a cooperation
agreement. The League party and its leader Matteo Salvini actively
support restoring full cooperation between Italy and Russia
and advocate an early lifting of anti-Russian sanctions imposed
by the US and the EU. That is where we concur.
Matteo
Salvini has warm feelings for Russia, and he is well familiar with
its realities. We met in 2014 in Milan, where we discussed prospects
for development of Russian‑Italian ties, as well
as Russia's relations with the European Union. Since then,
as far as I know, Mr Salvini and his party members
have maintained contacts with their Russian colleagues, who are interested in stepping
up cooperation with their Italian partners.
I have
already said on many occasions and will repeat: in our relations
with foreign states we have regard for lawfully elected, legitimate
leaders. We are ready to work and will work with those who have been
elected by the Italian people regardless of their political
affiliation.
As for Silvio
Berlusconi, we have been friends for many years. Silvio is
a politician of international standing, a true leader who
strenuously defended the interests of his country
in the international arena. His earnest determination
to preserve and increase the potential developed
in relations between our countries inspires respect. We rarely meet, but
when we have such an opportunity, he never lets himself discuss domestic issues.
Neither do I.
It is
important that in Italy there is an absolute consensus among all
political forces on the need to develop good relations with
Russia. And we fully reciprocate it.
Question: The European
Commission has launched an excessive deficit procedure against Italy
for its excessive public deficit. In this regard, did you discuss
with Prime Minister Conte, during his recent visit, the possible
acquisition of Italian sovereign bonds by Russia?
Vladimir
Putin: We did not mention this issue during Mr Conte's visit
to Moscow. And, as far as I know, we have not received any
formal request from the Italian side either.
Question: Many
expected that the election of Vladimir Zelensky as President
of Ukraine would bring a thaw in its relations with Moscow
and along with it the earliest settlement of the conflict
in Donbass and establishment of a constructive dialogue. Is
it possible?
Vladimir
Putin: Yes, it is possible if Mr Zelensky starts carrying out his election
promises, including if he engages in direct contact with his compatriots
in Donbass and stops labelling them ‘separatists,’ if
the Ukrainian authorities implement the Minsk Agreements rather than
ignore them.
Forced
Ukrainization, bans on using the Russian language, which is native
for millions of Ukrainian citizens, including teaching
in Russian in universities and schools, frenzy
of neo-Nazism, civil conflict in the south-east
of the country, attempts of the previous government
to break the fragile inter-faith peace – it is only a small
part of the ugly ”baggage“ the new President will have
to deal with. Therefore, I shall repeat: the Ukrainian citizens
do not want any declarations from V. Zelensky and his team – they
want real action and quick changes for the better.
And,
certainly, the Kiev authorities should finally understand that
confrontation between Russia and Ukraine is not in the common
interests unlike the development of pragmatic cooperation based
on trust and mutual understanding. And we are ready
for that.
Question: You
have no real political adversaries; in the last-year elections you
received nearly 77 percent of votes; there is virtually no
opposition. Then why do your development plans hardly get off the ground?
What are the main obstacles?
Vladimir Putin: It is not about the number of votes
in the elections, it is about the economic realities Russia has
to face, namely: decline in or fluctuation of prices
in global markets for our traditional export products: oil, gas
and metal. Undoubtedly, external constraints have their effect
as well.
But we
pursue a reasonable and realistic policy. We ensure macroeconomic
stability and prevent unemployment growth. Moreover, we have managed
to focus significant resources on large-scale national projects,
which should enable breakthrough development in key sectors
of the economy and social sphere and improvement
of peoples’ lives.
As for the implementation
of the plans, indeed, they are not always realised so fast as we
want. There are unforeseen obstacles, difficulties and faults. But it is
a common problem for all countries. It is understandable – today
we all, including Russia, face challenges that are too ambitious. They concern
not only the economic sphere, but other spheres as well.
The main idea is that people themselves should change in many
aspects, recognise the need for change and their role
in those processes, and get involved in the joint work.
This does not happen on order. I repeat, everyone should realise that
the world around is changing dramatically. Technologies are developing
at an increasing pace. That is why our plans are set
for the future. We create conditions for realising talents and abilities
of each person, particularly the youth. Looking at the many
programmes that are in demand in this area I see the Russia –
Land of Opportunity project as a very important one; it is
aimed at professional and personal growth of the youth
and people of various generations. It aims at giving them
an opportunity to prove themselves in public administration,
business and other important areas. In brief, I am confident
that building on the energy, freedom and initiative of our
citizens we will surely achieve the objectives we set for ourselves.
Question: Do
you think about Russia after Putin, from 2024? Do you intend to quit
politics or, as many believe, will you stay in another capacity?
Vladimir Putin: It is too early to tell. There are five years of intense
work ahead. Given the rapid dynamics we observe in today’s world, it
is hard to make any forecasts. Believe me, I have a lot
to do now, in the capacity I am in today.
Question: What
is the basis of the Italian-Russian trade and economic
relations? What projects are being implemented or discussed now?
Vladimir Putin: Italy is one of the main trading partners for our
country (in 2018, it was the fifth after China, Germany,
the Netherlands and Belarus) in the world. Around 500
Italian business entities are present in Russia. And despite Italy's
participation in anti-Russian sanctions and our retaliation measures,
which we have discussed earlier, our bilateral trade and economic
relations develop quite successfully.
In 2018,
our mutual trade increased by 12.7 percent, up
to $26.9 billion. Cumulative direct investment from Italy reached
$4.7 billion by the beginning of this year, while Russia’s
investment in Italy is also significant – $2.7 billion.
A number
of major investment projects have already been implemented in Russia
and Italy by the two countries’ companies. The most
important include 4 Enel-operated power plants in the Tver
and Sverdlovsk regions and Stavropol Territory; 2 joint ventures with
the Pirelli tyre manufacturer in Voronezh and Kirov; plant
in Chelyabinsk producing pumps for the oil industry with
the participation of TermomeccanicaS.p.A. By the way,
in Chelyabinsk there are 5 more Russian-Italian enterprises, including
metallurgical production, power equipment manufacturing and cryogenic
engineering. Last year, a plant producing high-voltage electric motors
together with the Italian company Nidec started its work
in the region. Such giants as ENI,Maire TECNIMONT and IVECO
actively invest in the Russian economy.
As examples
of Russia's large-scale investments in Italy, I would mention
LUKOIL’s oil refinery plant and petrol stations, and one
of Europe's biggest alumina refineries belonging to RUSAL
and located on the island of Sardinia.
A number
of major investment projects in Russia with the Italian
participation are being developed now. They include Enel’s wind energy
projects, construction of a chemical plant in the Samara
Region and a gas refinery in the Amur Region with
the participation of Maire TECNIMONT, and Barilla's new pasta
manufacturing facility. I will also mention a large Italian-Russian
project outside our countries – in Egypt. I mean the Zohr
gas field developed by ENI and Rosneft.
I would
like to thank our Italian business partners for their principled
stand in favour of deepening our business ties. We highly value it
and expect that the Italian-Russian economic cooperation will further
serve for the benefit of our countries and peoples.
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