Valdai Club

"Today we need new strategies to preserve our identity in a rapidly changing world, a world that has become more open, transparent and interdependent. This fact confronts virtually all countries and all peoples in one form or another: Russian, European, Chinese and American – the societies of virtually all countries".

Russia respects Ukraine’s right to choose its priorities and partners, including Kiev’s choice between closer economic cooperation with Moscow or European integration, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin cautiously reached out to his political opponents on Thursday, welcoming new political leaders, including from opposition parties that currently do not have a place in the existing political elite, and hinting at amnesty for protesters accused of clashing with police at a political rally on Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square.

In a playful exchange with France’s former prime minister, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that it was possible he would seek a fourth presidential term. The exchange took place at the 10th annual meeting of the Valdai Club.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply criticized Western powers on Thursday for their inability to sufficiently plan for the future of Syria without its president, Bashar Assad, and what to do if terrorists come to power in the country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin touted traditionalism as the heart of Russia’s national identity on Thursday, lamenting threats like globalization and multiculturalism, the drive for a “unipolar world” and the erosion of Christian values – including an exaggerated focus on the rights of sexual minorities.

The Valdai Club experts said at a special night session that the US-Russian plan for Syria is not only an attempt to resolve the crisis but it can also help US President Barack Obama out of a jam. Two years ago, he said that Bashar Assad must step down, but Assad has remained in power and now the world is waiting for him to adopt a decision on chemical weapons.

Vyacheslav Volodin, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, spoke at a meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club and answered questions by members of the opposition about the “municipal filter” and transparency at the recent elections

According to experts of the Valdai International Discussion Club, Russia is going through a transition period and needs a new value system that reflects the great Russian culture of the past, while also focusing on the future. The Value Gap session was attended by the opposition figures.

Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Ivanov believes the Moscow mayoral election was “sterile”. Sergei Sobyanin was elected mayor in a direct election on September 8, a general election day across the country.