President Vladimir Putin has delivered an annual address to the Federal Assembly, which is considered to be his main speech of the year. Apart from addressing domestic issues, he also touched upon the topic of Russia’s international policies.
READ MORE: Putin addresses lawmakers in key annual speech
On peaceful cooperation:
On right to make independent decisions:
On relations with NATO & lessons of the Cold War:
We are committed to a friendly, equal dialogue, to upholding the principles of justice and mutual respect in international affairs; we are ready for serious discussion on the creation of a stable system of international relations in the 21st century.
On Russia’s Asia policy:
Russia’s active [Asian] policy is not dictated by some opportunistic considerations of today, not even by the cooling in relations with the United States or the European Union, but by long-term national interests and trends of global development.
On the Western censorship:
We stand […] against any monopoly, whether it is a claim on exclusivity, or attempts to adjust for one’s own good the rules of international trade, restrict freedom of speech, impose censorship in the global information space.