Munich speech of Vladimir Putin

Putin criticized what he called the United States' monopolistic dominance in global relations, and its "almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations". The speech came to be known, especially in Russia, as the Munich speech. He said the result of such dominance was that,

[…] no one feels safe! Because no one can feel that international law is like a stone wall that will protect them. Of course such a policy stimulates an arms race.[2]

In response, former NATO secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer called it, "disappointing and not helpful."[3] The months following the Munich speech[2] were marked by tension and a surge in rhetoric on both sides of the Atlantic, though both Russian and American officials, however, denied the idea of a new Cold War.[4]

Putin publicly opposed plans for the U.S. missile shield in Europe, and presented President George W. Bush with a counter proposal on 7 June 2007 which was declined.[5] Russia suspended its participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe on 11 December 2007 because:

Seven years have passed and only four states have ratified this document, including the Russian Federation.[2]

Putin later made other speeches that were called follow-ups to the Munich speech. These include:

• The Crimean speech of Vladimir Putin
• The Valdai speech of Vladimir Putin
• U. N. General Assembly speech on 28 September 2015 ("I'm urged to ask those who created this situation: do you at least realize now what you’ve done?")[6]

• Foreign policy of Vladimir Putin