Vladimir Putin has made yet another bewildering claim about Russia and its place on the international stage.
According to TASS, Moscow’s state news agency, the president claimed the country now has “more and more supporters” – outside of Russia.
Speaking at a Russian forum called Strong Ideas for a New Time on Tuesday, Putin said: “It is clear that we have more and more supporters all over the world, especially, and everyone sees this too, in what we call our traditional values.
“It turns out that these are not only our traditional values.
“For any healthy person, this is also, traditional values.”
According to a different transcript on the Kremlin website, the president added: “Even in the so-called unfriendly countries, the ‘safety cushion’ for these traditional values is proving to be sizeable and reliable, and we have many allies in these countries.”
The president did not mention that since he ordered troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has become increasingly isolated on the world stage.
The West issued a long list of sanctions in response and weaned itself off cheap Russian oil exports, dealing a blow to the country’s economy.
The International Criminal Court has also issued an arrest warrant for Putin over the abduction of Ukrainian children, meaning the Russian president cannot travel to any country which signs up to that organisation or he will be extradited.
In September last year, Putin even turned to old ally, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, for access to arms stockpiles.
According to TASS, the Russian president told the forum: “I think everyone will agree that we are living in a unique era.
“This uniqueness stems from the fact that we are at a completely different level in terms of the tasks we have to perform to move the country forward.
“We are fundamentally evolving, and the country is changing vitally from within, becoming more self-sufficient, sovereign, and confident.
“This is Russia’s time!”
It’s not quite clear what Putin means by “more self-sufficient” and “sovereign”, but the Kremlin has been cracking down on any form of dissent within the country ahead of the presidential elections later this year.
The UK’s foreign secretary David Cameron is expected to acknowledge Putin’s turn of phrase during a G20 meeting on Wednesday in an attack on Russia when announcing new sanctions.
He is expected to say: “The Kremlin pays lip service to concepts like sovereignty, while openly undermining them. Unlike Russia we match our words with actions.”