A strange mix of sophisticated economics and old-fashioned nationalism. That may be the best way to describe Russian President Vladimir Putin’s address to Russia’s parliament and government ministers on Dec. 4. He said the West was trying to prevent Russia from getting stronger and that the war in Ukraine was nothing but a pretext for curbing its progress. In his annual speech to both houses of the Russian parliament, Putin promised to respond to the sanctions by liberalizing the economy and coaxing offshore assets of Russian companies back home.
Late by six minutes, Putin entered the gilded St. George Hall of the Kremlin, where about a thousand parliamentarians and state officials were waiting to hear his main speech of the year. As he began delivering it, it became apparent that the Russian president was still dogged by a nasty cough and sore throat, something that was noticed when he traveled to the G-20 meeting in Brisbane last month.
