Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate in the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday. The theme of this year's meeting is “Lasting Peace on What Basis? Common Security and Equal Opportunities for Development in the 21st Century.”
As noted by the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, President Putin's address at Valdai traditionally garners significant interest.
Putin has been attending the club's sessions annually since its inception in 2004. Typically, he delivers a speech on international politics and then answers questions from experts. This year's Valdai comes on the heels of the US presidential election, won by Donald Trump, and it is expected that participants will seek the Russian leader's views on this topic. However, as Peskov pointed out, Russia has its own agenda, and for the country, the launch of a new nuclear icebreaker is more significant than Trump's victory.
The Valdai International Discussion Club brings together Russian and foreign experts specializing in political, economic, and cultural-humanitarian research. In 2024, the forum includes 140 participants from 50 countries. The event, held from November 4 to 7, has already featured speeches by Vice Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration Maxim Oreshkin.
According to the club's official website, the goal of the meeting is to propose non-Western ideas for solving global problems and to emphasize that leading countries do not have a monopoly on defining goals and development methods. Valdai discussions cover a wide range of topics, from ecology and inequality to artificial intelligence and conflict resolution.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS