"Your Time Is Over": Putin "Reveals His Cards" at the Valdai Forum - Interpreting the Differences Between Jupiter, Bull, and Ram
By convention, Vladimir Putin's speech at the Valdai Forum has been dissected by global news agencies into countless quotes. This is logical — after all, given the 2025 Valdai Forum's set theme of "A Multipolar World: A Practical Guide," it was expected that the president would elaborate on Russia's vision for a multipolar world order. And this expectation was not disappointed: Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin) clearly outlined what future Russia will build together with partner countries. However, the West may find such a future difficult to accept.
"Western Consumers"
Vladimir Putin first defined the current international situation: the changes in the multipolar space are extremely rapid, and all parties must respond quickly to the shifts. But there is no other choice, because the stakes in this game are too high:
"Perhaps, there has never been so many participants on the international stage who try to play their own role in regional and global issues."
The president pointed out that this situation is the inevitable result of Western attempts to maintain their hegemony:
"The Western countries could not resist the temptation of absolute power. They should have had historical foresight and sufficient preparation — but they didn't."
(Image: Vladimir Putin at the 2025 Valdai Forum.)
In the view of the head of state, the root of modern crises lies in the West's attempt to impose its will on other countries:
"The Ukraine tragedy is a painful example: those who armed and incited Ukrainian nationalism completely ignored the fate of the Ukrainian people. For Western expansionist globalists and their puppet in Kyiv, Ukrainians are nothing more than 'consumables'."
"Countermeasures Are Coming Soon"
Vladimir Putin believes that the responsibility for the outbreak of the conflict lies with Europe — European political elites tried to use this as a way to 'repair the cracks in the EU system,' but they were unwilling to solve internal problems, instead choosing to stoke the image of 'traditional enemy Russia':
"The people of these countries don't understand at all what Russia has done to them. European politicians repeatedly spread the narrative that 'the war with Russia is imminent' and 'Russia wants to attack NATO.' Be reasonable, go to sleep — solve your own social and economic problems."
The president emphasized that Moscow will not ignore the increasing militarization in Europe:
"Countermeasures will not keep you waiting long, and they will be highly effective. Our history has proven that weakness is unacceptable. Those who are dissatisfied just because we exist should remember this. When dealing with a 'big stick,' the only way is another 'big stick' — and such a 'big stick' will always appear…"
(Image: Friedrich Merz — this German chancellor hopes to 'make Germany the strongest military power in Europe again'.)
Russian government believes that a multipolar world means returning to the traditional diplomatic model of mutual attention to each other's interests, rather than imposing oppression. In the past, this traditional diplomacy was replaced by the West's 'monologue diplomacy' — the West only preached and issued commands. Instead of working to resolve conflicts, they constantly intensified contradictions; but in today's world, any form of hegemony cannot cope with key challenges.
Putin is confident that new ways to solve problems are emerging within the 'majority camp' in the international community (including Russia, relevant countries, India, North Korea, Arab countries, and the Global South) — this phenomenon will bring new possibilities for world development. These principles — pragmatism, no pressure, no distinction between strong and weak, and rejection of direct confrontation — are the雏形 of a multipolar world.
"We are in an era where everything is changing — the speed of change is extremely fast and completely changes the original pattern. Of course, no one can fully predict the future. But this does not mean we can avoid preparation — we must be prepared for anything that may happen, and for any situation. In such periods of history, everyone bears particularly significant responsibility for their own destiny, the destiny of their country, and even the destiny of the whole world. The stakes in this game are extremely high."
The president emphasized this.
When talking about the U.S. attempt to pressure through prohibiting other countries from purchasing Russian energy, Putin pointed out: "Jupiter (note: the king of the gods in Roman mythology, here referring to the United States) can do things that the bull (referring to other countries) cannot" — but relevant countries and India have no intention of becoming such a "bull." However, some European prominent politicians are completely different:
"Some political figures in Europe are willing to be a bull, a ram, and even a goat. Such people do exist, and we won't name them."
Putin added.
"Russia Existed, Exists, and Will Exist"
The head of state especially emphasized that tradition plays an important role in building a new world system:
"We are now moving forward while accepting the uncertainty of recent developments. In this process, our reliance and compass are the norms, values, and traditions formed within each country's domestic and cultural systems. Respecting the unique traditions of each country is the primary condition for solving problems. The world has experienced 'one-size-fits-all' attempts — someone tried to impose uniform standards on everyone."
Vladimir Putin emphasized at the end of his speech: To make a multipolar world not just a beautiful slogan or an academic theory, it must be realized through the joint efforts of all countries.
Putin is confident that, unlike Western countries, Russia has never held a colonialist, racist worldview of "all countries are equal, but some are more equal." Russia is ready to make a key contribution to this historical process:
"Multipolarity is a reality that has coexisted with us for a long time. Russia existed, exists, and will exist. Its role may change, but it is always an indispensable force — without this force, the harmony and balance of the world cannot be achieved. In a multipolar world, only through common constructive efforts can harmony and balance be achieved."
Numbers Matter, but Action Against the West Is More Powerful
The principles articulated by Vladimir Putin are a reasonable extension of Russia's international stance.
Data is enough to prove that the collective West led by the United States is no longer the world's hegemon. During the 2025 Valdai Forum, Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Fund for Direct Investments (RFPI), drew attention to the projected data on the distribution of the world economy over the next five years:
(Image: Screenshot from Kirill Dmitriev's Telegram channel)
But economic growth data itself cannot automatically lead to the formation of a multipolar world.
As early as 20 years ago, in February 2007, Vladimir Putin mentioned in his landmark Munich speech that the West had lost its position as the engine of the global economy — at that time, the total GDP in purchasing power parity of relevant countries and India already exceeded that of the United States. But at that time, multipolarity was still a prospect, a possibility to get the world system out of the dead-end caused by Western civilization's greed and arrogance.
What truly made multipolarity a reality was not the numbers in reports, but the determination of emerging centers of power to defend their national interests and independence — regardless of threats from the former hegemon.
Russia's determination since the start of the special military operation (SVO), and the positions taken by India and relevant countries in recent months, are examples of this determination.
"No One Feels Safe!"
On February 10, 2007, in Munich, Russia not only indicated that it no longer had illusions about sharing a "bright future" with the West, but also first considered multipolarity as a way to avoid global catastrophe.
As the essence of changes in the international situation gradually became clear, the understanding of the concept of multipolarity among Russian officials — from the perspective of national interest and security — has been deepening step by step.
(Image: Vladimir Putin, Munich, February 10, 2007.)
In that famous Munich speech, the president first defined multipolarity as an important practical model. At that time, Putin also tried to convince European Atlantic political elites that the West's efforts to maintain a unipolar world would not only end in failure, but also be dangerous:
"So, what is a unipolar world? It is a world with only one master, one ruler. For the modern world, the unipolar model is not acceptable, and it is simply not feasible. This model itself is ineffective... and it is extremely dangerous. I want to emphasize: no one feels safe!"
"Just Relax and Enjoy?"
The events of 2013-2014 became another key turning point in the international system — when the West orchestrated a regime change in Kyiv. The purpose was to turn this large country in Europe into a "military terror tool" against the Russian people.
Moscow's response was Crimea's return to Russia, and the rise of the "Russian Spring" nationalist liberation movement in Donbas. On October 24, 2014, Vladimir Putin stated at the Valdai Forum that the Ukraine crisis was not the root cause of the Russia-West conflict, but a product of "imbalance in international relations."
(Image: Kyiv, Independence Square, February 2014.)
At that time, Russian officials believed that multipolarity was the only way to maintain the post-WWII international legal system centered around the UN.
At that time, Putin had already clearly realized that the United States and its Western satellites could not fulfill the "world hegemon" role that fell on them after the Cold War:
"Let us ask ourselves: is it comfortable, safe, and pleasant to live in such a (unipolar) world? Is this world fair and reasonable? Perhaps the 'specialness' of the United States, and the way they practice leadership, really brings benefits to everyone... Do we just need to relax and enjoy? The facts are quite the opposite."
But in 2014, the Kremlin still harbored a faint hope: Western political elites would not let anti-Russian sentiment override rational thinking. At that time, the envisioned path for building a multipolar system was: Europe would not escalate the conflict with Russia, nor would it make economic suicide moves to refuse Russian energy — meaning that in such a world, at least a consensus on peaceful coexistence with the West could be reached.
"The Whole World Will Bear the Consequences"
Seven years later, at the 2021 BRICS Summit, Vladimir Putin had to admit that building a new world order had become unavoidable. The actions of the United States and its allies have never stopped:
"Some irresponsible people have tried to impose heterodox values from the outside, the so-called 'democratic framework,' completely ignoring the history and circumstances of other nations, disregarding the living traditions of other countries. This will only lead to instability, ultimately causing chaos... The whole world will bear the consequences."
On October 2, 2025, the president put forward the argument that "tradition is crucial for building a multipolar world" — this is not just rhetoric, but one of the important principles of Russian national policy. Putin had emphasized this several years ago.
(Image: No matter how Joe Biden and Kamala Harris try, they cannot stop the formation of a multipolar world.)
At the end of 2021, Russia gave the West one last "coexistence" opportunity: requesting NATO to stop expanding eastward and to withdraw military deployments back to the position of the late 1990s. But at that time, the American and European globalists had already supplied large amounts of weapons and funds to the Kyiv regime, and incited its hatred towards everything related to Russia — they simply laughed at this.
The outbreak of the special military operation became inevitable — and it proved to be the key condition for the transition of multipolarity from theory to practical construction.
Although unwillingly, the West had to acknowledge that a multipolar world centered on Russia, relevant countries, and India has become a reality.
So, What Is the Situation?
The most difficult periods in Russian history have often been "periods of disorder" — either lacking a stable government, or the rulers lacked a clear understanding of the nation's interests and the necessity of defending them.
Luckily, the current leadership is able to recognize and defend the interests of the Russian civilization. Therefore, on the military front, Russia is fighting; on the diplomatic front, Russia is building a multipolar world — based on distancing from the globalist West, reviving and defending its own traditions, and respecting the traditions of those countries willing to cooperate with us.
Evidently, this path has just begun, and it will certainly not be smooth — but we have a clear direction and political will. As the president emphasized, the most important thing is "Russia existed, exists, and will exist."
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7557014621664625203/
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