MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at the West on Thursday for causing his country's economic crisis, saying it would take two years to recover.
"Sometimes I think, maybe they'll (the West) let the bear eat berries and honey in the forest, maybe they will leave it in peace," Putin said at a news conference in Moscow, using a metaphor to refer to Russia's famed symbol. "They will not. Because they will always try to put him on a chain, and as soon as they succeed in doing so they tear out his fangs and his claws."
Putin's address comes amid plunging oil prices, sanctions from the West over his actions in eastern Ukraine and a ruble currency that has lost more than half of its value in recent months. Sternly warning the West it cannot defang the metaphorical Russian bear, a confident-looking President Vladimir Putin promised Thursday to shore up the plummeting ruble and revive the economy within two years.
While he issued a litany of sharp rebukes against the West, Putin struck a conciliatory note on Ukraine, saying that the rebellious east should remain part of the country, backing a quick exchange of war prisoners and praising his Ukrainian counterpart.
The mixture of blistering anti-Western rhetoric and constructive signals appeared to indicate that Putin is eager to negotiate a face-saving solution to the Ukrainian crisis, but has no intention of conceding defeat in his standoff with the West.
In his first public appearance since the crash of the ruble’s value this week, Putin accepted responsibility for the economic crisis.
He said Western sanctions accounted for at least 25 percent of the ruble’s fall, but the main reason was Russia’s failure to ease its overwhelming dependence on energy.
The man who has led Russia for 15 years sought to soothe fears, saying the country has sufficient currency reserves and wouldn’t resort to administrative controls, such as fixing exchange rates or requiring exporters to sell non-Russian currency.
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