(EDM) The annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (May 24–26) managed to attract more high-level foreign guests than could be expected considering Russia’s stagnant economy and relative lack of interest from international investors. Arguably, the organizers should have expressed gratitude for this success to United States President Donald Trump. One issue that attending French President Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan all found uncontroversial was angst about Trump’s awkward and maverick leadership in global affairs (Republic.ru, May 26). Russian President Vladimir Putin, who traditionally guides the debates at this Forum, sought to draw the maximum possible traction from this consensus (Kommersant, May 26). His main argument was that the Western sanctions against Russia were a feature of the breakdown of global rules for economic relations as well as a manifestation of unfair protectionism, which distorts the normal flow of goods in world markets (RBC, May 25). […]
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