Putin to address Valdai Discussion Club on October 1

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club on October 1, 2026. The 23rd annual Valdai meeting is taking place from September 28 to October 1, 2026, in the Moscow region and includes representatives from 40 countries. Putin will also participate in a panel discussion during the event, which will be moderated by Fyodor Lukyanov. Peskov indicated that discussions about Ukraine and the United States would be held at the Valdai meeting.

Putin's remarks at Valdai

The full report from merkur.de included extensive remarks attributed to Putin during the Valdai meeting. He warned of the consequences of a direct attack on Russia, stating that no country possesses weapons like Russia and that the use of all available weapons would be considered if Russia were directly attacked. Putin also stated that Russia does not plan to attack any other country in 2029, 2030, or 2050. He accused the EU of distorting events to justify its own aggression and claimed Russia is not concerned about arms deliveries to Kyiv, but rather about Western involvement in military operations against Russia. Putin described the events in Ukraine as a "collective aggression of the West against Russia" and said Russia's orientation in restoring "historical territories" is based on the presence of Russians and the need to improve their living conditions.

Further remarks from the merkur.de report detailed Putin's warnings about the escalation of international conflicts. He stated that Russia had tried for years to become part of Western civilization while the West sought to dismantle Russia. Putin described the current situation as dangerous and characterized by unprecedented speed and scale of change, warning that a point of no return could be reached quickly. He also cautioned against the potential use of weapons that could destroy humanity or have severe global consequences, referencing Anton Chekhov's principle of a gun on the wall needing to be fired. Putin also criticised the collapse of the Soviet Union, calling it a "real tragedy" for millions and attributing it to the naivety, carelessness, and negligence of the Soviet leadership, who he said blindly trusted their Western partners.

Omissions

None of the left-rated digests mention the specific date of Putin's keynote speech as October 1, 2026. The full report from merkur.de, rated centre, provided extensive details of Putin's remarks at the Valdai meeting, including his warnings about nuclear weapons, his views on the Ukraine conflict, and his criticism of the Soviet Union's collapse. None of the right-rated digests included these specific remarks attributed to Putin.