Companies will regret leaving Russia: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin says foreign companies that have left Russia will regret their decision.

“In today’s conditions, when someone jumped off somewhere, left, chose to stop some activity here, they will regret it,” he declared at a meeting with young entrepreneurs in Moscow.

“They will regret it, not because we threaten anyone,” Putin continued. “They will regret it because Russia is a country with great potential, really.” Putin also appeared to claim that the exodus of foreign firms from Russia was evidence of U.S. Domination over other Western states and economies.

“Many regret that they have to leave. This is all a manifestation of the internal state of these countries that cannot make sovereign decisions,” he added.

He then reiterated that Russia is “a sovereign country that should be looking to the future.” Putin spoke of Russia’s need to “take back (territory) and defend itself” Thursday in a speech in which he compared himself to Peter the Great. Speaking at a meeting with young entrepreneurs in Moscow, Putin drew parallels between the conquering monarch’s founding of St. Petersburg and his government’s annexation of territory.

“When he founded the new capital, no European country recognized it as Russia. Everybody recognised it as Sweden,” Putin said. “And Slavic people had always lived there along with Finno-Ugric people, and the territory was under the control of the Russian state.”

“What was he doing? Taking back and reinforcing. That’s what he did. And it looks like it fell on us to take back and reinforce as well,” he said.