Moscow: In his first appearance at a global gathering since a brief mutiny last month, President Vladimir Putin told Asian leaders on Tuesday that the Russian people were more united than ever.
Putin stated at a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a group that also consists of China and India, that "the Russian people are consolidated as never before."
"When they responded as a unified front against an attempted armed mutiny, Russian political circles and the entire society clearly demonstrated their unity and elevated sense of responsibility for the fate of the Fatherland."
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Following the brief mutiny led by Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin late last month, Putin's speech and emphasis on Russia's unity during a meeting with key allies appeared to show how eager he is to allay any concerns about his own authority on the international stage.
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On June 24, Wagner fighters seized control of a city in the south and moved towards Moscow, posing Putin with the most serious threat to his hold on power since assuming the position of supreme leader of Russia on the final day of 1999.
Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, mediated a deal that ended the mutiny. Putin has since expressed gratitude to his military and security forces for preventing anarchy and civil war.
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Putin asserted in his speech that Russia would resist Western sanctions and "provocations."
He stated that Moscow supported the switch to local currency settlements in international trade and planned to strengthen ties with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. He also cautioned that the likelihood of war and a world economic crisis were both growing.