The Russian president at the plenary session of the XXIII International Discussion Club "Valdai" touched on a whole range of acute topics - from the risk of nuclear weapons use and escalation to artificial intelligence and a new world order. On whom Moscow is ready to cooperate with in changed conditions, why the head of state recalled German politician Egon Bahr and what could lead the world to catastrophic consequences - in a RIA Novosti report.
One of the most acute was the question of the situation in the Baltic Sea. Discussion moderator Fedor Lukyanov asked whether NATO exercises near Russian borders, threats to Kaliningrad and attempts to detain Russian vessels should be regarded as escalation.
In response, the president stressed that Moscow does not frighten anyone and does not intend to attack anyone - "neither in 2029, nor in 2030, nor in 2050." But in the event of a direct attack, it will have to respond. And since a potential adversary has a twofold numerical superiority, special means will have to be used.
"No one in the world has such means of destruction as Russia has," Putin recalled.
If it comes to a direct attack on Kaliningrad or other territories, the question of using all weapons available to Russia will be on the agenda "inevitably and immediately," the head of state warned.
The president called attempts to seize Russian vessels another element of the West's aggressive behavior. He also touched on strikes on oil refineries. Damage was inflicted, but Russia's response turned out to be far more painful - Ukraine lost its steel industry.
Behind all this, Putin stressed, is a larger-scale process - a deep transformation of the entire system of international relations.
In his opening speech, the president assessed global changes in the world. In his opinion, humanity has found itself at the beginning of an "absolutely new reality," but has not yet fully realized the scale of the challenges.
This concerns not only a shift in the balance of power between states: the "biological and moral-ethical essence of man" is affected.
Putin called for caution so as not to fall under an "avalanche of changes." There is no ready strategy of behavior in such circumstances, and mistakes can cost very dearly.
Against this background, a need arises for new mechanisms of international relations. Institutions created after World War II no longer reflect modern realities. Many criticisms of the UN are justified, and Russia advocates a fair reform of this organization taking into account the interests of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The world is only groping for the contours of a future system. Former norms have largely stopped working, while new ones have not yet formed. "The principle 'might makes right' sometimes seems guiding for some players, but it never leads to anything good," the president warned.
But he rejected the conclusion that chaos is inevitable. After all, in the past major powers not only competed but also cooperated, creating systems of relations and striving to preserve stability. Now, amid the crisis of former institutions, responsibility for managing risks is even higher.
Among the main challenges, Putin singled out the development of artificial intelligence. It is not yet clear how AI will affect the cultural and spiritual state of humanity, and the transition of states to a digital basis raises the question of sovereignty. Technology also brings man to a more fundamental problem - the possibility of interfering in what was previously considered "the prerogative of the Creator."
"It is necessary to find solutions to such existential questions together," the president is convinced.
Already now AI is capable of making decisions independently. Yet man, for this purpose, in addition to rational calculation, has "flair, intuition," the ability to think outside the box.
This problem is especially acute in the military sphere. AI increases the effectiveness of combat operations, but this can lead to even greater destruction. It is important to limit the harshest manifestations of conflicts and again raise the question of the rules of warfare.
Escalation is dangerous both in sanctions and in military confrontation. It is never one-sided: actions by some are followed by retaliatory steps by others, and a spiral arises that can bring the planet to catastrophe.
Here Putin mentioned nuclear weapons. "If a gun hangs on the wall, it must inevitably fire," he recalled, stressing the need to avoid such a development of events by all means.
Armed conflicts have been, are and will be, but it is necessary to get through the dangerous moment and prevent the realization of the most destructive threats.
It was not Russia that started the confrontation around Ukraine, the president noted. It should not have been turned into an anti-Russia, military bases should not have been created there and force should not have been used against Russians - by nationality and spirit.
"If we want to live, then let us live in friendship," Putin suggested. Trust between states is a complex and fragile process, and the interests of even the closest partners cannot fully coincide. Russia was forced to defend itself "with weapons in hand."
"There is no need to turn the destruction of Russia into a strategic ideology," the president warned.
Speaking about the future of the world system, he pointed out that the former hegemon will have to recognize the realities of a multipolar world and learn to cooperate with the countries of the majority. The formation of a multipolar world is inevitable, but the path to it is unstable and fraught with risks.
Putin paid special attention to historical lessons. According to him, short-sightedness and narrow templates undermined the USSR and led to collapse. In the 1990s, the country's leadership tried to please the West. In retrospect, it became clear that the West only wanted to reshape the world and "grab as large a piece as possible."
Here the president mentioned German politician Egon Bahr - "a substantive and competent man." Bahr proposed creating a security council for Eastern and Central Europe with the participation of the US and the USSR and broad powers. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, forces that did not want to follow the path of pan-European cooperation prevailed in the West.
Russia, meanwhile, had to act by trial and error.
Putin considers a Greater Eurasian Partnership one of the promising directions. Much on the world stage depends on how this space is organized. For further development, the main thing is needed - a durable peace.
The president called attempts to prevent individual European states from independently building relations with Russia dictatorship, and more harsh than in Soviet times.
At the same time, Moscow does not seek the collapse of the European Union: "We only want to build and cooperate." It is Western countries, not Russia, that are trying to erect a new Iron Curtain. Such a policy will inevitably end in failure.
Putin also touched on the situation with frozen assets in Europe. The temporary management mechanism applied to a number of large European companies gives Moscow the possibility of a symmetrical response in the event of nationalization of Russian enterprises' assets in the EU.
"We are not taking anything from anyone, not stealing and not nationalizing," the president explained. Under a favorable scenario, management control will return to the Europeans.
In the concluding part, the discussion concerned a settlement in Ukraine. "We are ready to begin these negotiations and complete them as quickly as possible, but, of course, on the terms that are acceptable for the Russian Federation, for our people," Putin said.
And in the matter of liberating territories, the point is primarily people. Therefore, if Western countries and Ukraine agree to conditions acceptable to Russia, the preferable outcome will be the cessation of hostilities, a reduction of losses on both sides and a transition to agreements that will allow the conflict to be settled.