Putin: Economic cooperation with Washington in Alaska "depends on a political decision" from the United States

During his speech at the economic forum in Vladivostok, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed his country's openness to economic cooperation with the United States in the energy sector in Alaska, conditional on "political will" from Washington.

Putin explained that this potential cooperation is based on complementarity, as the United States possesses "huge resources in Alaska," while Russia has "advanced technologies for oil and gas development," considering that combining these capabilities "could open new horizons for cooperation if political will is present."

Putin said: "Russia is open to cooperation with America in Alaska... but there is a need for a political decision from Washington to resume economic participation."

In the context of international economic partnerships, the Russian president paid special attention to relations with China, describing the Russian and Chinese economies as "complementing each other," emphasizing that Moscow and Beijing have "common approaches and values."

His remarks came shortly after concluding a visit to the Chinese capital Beijing, during which a cooperation memorandum was signed to establish a new massive gas pipeline project to enhance the strategic partnership between the two countries.

On another note, the speech shifted to the Ukraine file, where Putin issued a stern warning to the West, clarifying that any Western forces deployed on Ukrainian territory would be considered "legitimate targets" for the Russian army.

This verbal escalation from the Russian president comes just one day after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 countries had pledged to provide security guarantees to Ukraine post-war, which may include the deployment of international ground, naval, and air forces.