Vladimir Putin has been boasting about just how many “friends” Russia supposedly has – despite his significant ongoing tensions with the West.
The Russian president has been isolated on the world stage by the west over his invasion of Ukraine since 2022, as Kyiv’s allies hoped that it would discourage his aggression.
Russia was even voted out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council.
But Donald Trump disrupted this united approach when he was re-elected.
In his haste to secure a quick resolution to the war, the US president expressed sympathy with the Kremlin over its invasion and has regularly rebuked Ukraine instead.
And, although Trump has accused Putin of “dragging of his feet” over peace negotiations, the White House has signalled that it now wants to ease sanctions on Russia in exchange for a ceasefire.
So perhaps it’s no surprise the Russian president was subsequently boasting about his friendships, and insisting that Russia has more allies than enemies on Wednesday night.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, Putin said: “We have a lot of friends everywhere – in the West, in the East, in the North, and in the South. All over the world. And we have substantially more friends than those who do not really understand us very well.
“There are people in the so-called West [...] who do not understand Russia.
“But this does not prevent us from living and growing.
“This should only encourage us to expand the number of people who understand us and want to live in peace and friendship with us.”
Putin was speaking at a meeting of the “Movement of the First”, the all-Russian organisation for children which the president established himself in December 2022 and continues to personally manage.
It’s worth noting there is currently an international arrest warrant out for Putin over his deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Putin also told the young crowd: “We will succeed in this area if we actively and effectively work among other things, and perhaps most importantly, with young people – children, teenagers, who are the foundation of the country’s future and cherish this country, who recognise that family and the motherland are among life’s greatest values.”
“People like you understand this, and I very much hope that you will pass this down to the next generation,” Putin added, addressing an officer who has reportedly dedicated himself to working with children.
His remarks come the day before European leaders are due to meet in Paris to work on a collective response to Russia as the US considers lifting its sanctions.