TALLINN, Estonia:President Vladimir Putin on Friday confirmed the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus while touting Russia's prospects at the country's main international economic forum despite heavy international sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine.
Western officials and investors steered clear of the year's St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which began Wednesday and continues through Saturday. For decades, the gathering has been Russia's premier event for attracting foreign capital, sometimes likened to the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland.
The Kremlin banned journalists from "unfriendly" countries from covering the proceedings. Moscow gave that designation on scores of countries that sanctioned Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, including the United States, Canada, European Union members and Australia.
Officials did not provide a list of the foreign businesses attending, but the program for the more than 100 panel discussions showed a marked majority of the speakers hailing from Russia.
"We haven't turned onto the self-isolation path. Quite the opposite," Putin said at the forum's plenary session. "We have widened contacts with reliable and responsible partners in the countries and regions that serve as the engine, the drivers of the world's economy today. I'd like to reiterate: These are the markets of the future; everyone clearly understands it."
While one of the sessions listed in the program touted Russia as a "global tech hub," descriptions of other panels tacitly acknowledged Moscow's economic exclusion since its troops moved into Ukraine nearly 16 months ago.