Russo-Ukrainian war news: Putin says he will meet with Xi

As his forces struggle in Ukraine and his economy strains under sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin took a defiant tone on Wednesday, arguing that the West had failed in its “economic, financial and technological aggression” against Russia and that his country had only gained from global outrage over its invasion.

“We have nothing to lose and nothing to lose,” Putin said at an economic conference in the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok.

Putin’s statement was a rejection of the human toll Russia has suffered in its grueling campaign since it launched its invasion in February. His Defense Department has acknowledged hundreds of deaths, although that total has not been updated for months. Western estimates are much higher: the United States last month estimated that 80,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in the war.

Putin also said he will meet next week with an increasingly important ally, Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the Russian leader tries to expand economic ties with Asia to counter the effects of Western sanctions. He insisted that the invasion, now in its seventh month, had elevated Moscow’s international standing and that the crackdown on dissent was cleansing Russia of “harmful” elements, including journalists who had left the country since the conflict began.

“Of course, there is a certain polarization going on – both in the world and within the country – but I think this will only be beneficial,” Mr. Putin said. “For everything that is unnecessary, harmful and everything that prevents us from moving forward will be rejected.”

He also reaffirmed his interpretation of the war in Ukraine as the culmination of efforts to sabotage an unfair world order led by the United States, saying that Western countries “strive to maintain a previous world order that only benefited them.”

Putin’s comments came as his forces face an increasingly difficult situation on the front lines in Ukraine, where they have been unable to control a key town for more than two months. Ukraine is launching a counterattack that its officials say is showing initial signs of success.

“All our actions are aimed at helping the people who live in Donbass,” Putin said, referring to the region of eastern Ukraine that his forces sought to conquer, and vowed to fulfill this “duty to the end.”

The Russian president sought to instil confidence that the West’s efforts to isolate Moscow were doomed to fail. While participating in a panel on stage with the Myanmar leader and the prime minister of Mongolia, and with the third highest-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party, he suggested that Russia could shift its trade flows toward Asia.

“No matter how much someone wants to isolate Russia, it is impossible to do so,” Putin said. “Just look at the map.”

Mr. Putin said Russia’s currency and financial markets have stabilized, inflation has been tamed and unemployment has been kept at “record lows”. His rosy comments, however, have been tempered by economic policymakers, who say the Russian economy will take years to recover to pre-war levels and that its growth will falter as long as Western sanctions are in place. Many analysts also expect more shocks as European countries continue to press ahead with plans to sharply reduce their purchases of Russian oil by the end of the year.

Mr. Putin used part of his speech to call into question a rare example of cooperation between Russia and Ukraine: a UN-brokered deal to allow the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

He accused Western countries of “cheating” by diverting ships away from the world’s poorest countries, and he provided no evidence for this claim. Putin said he would consult with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about adjusting the terms of the deal to limit the flow of grain to Western countries.

US officials called Mr. Putin’s comments misleading, saying that massive amounts of grain are reaching countries in need outside Europe. Last week, a World Food Program ship carrying 23,300 metric tons of Ukrainian grain arrived in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, and a second ship carrying 37,000 metric tons. Leave for Yemen.

A senior US official said Mr Putin’s remarks could be read as the Russian leader’s latest attempt to drive a wedge between Western and developing nations in the Global South, which could lead to more pressure for an end to the fighting on terms favorable to Moscow.

Michael Crowley Contribute to the preparation of reports.