CNBC: Kremlin pulls out of Davos, says it has lost interest in the forum
None of the 2024 public figures attending the WEF are from Russia
The Kremlin said its interest in the World Economic Forum has declined in recent years after Russians stopped attending the event following Putin's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
"Our business has not participated in Davos for several years. Therefore, our interest in this forum has decreased," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNBC on Thursday.
Previously, before the invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials, organizations and business leaders flocked to Davos in hopes of attracting investment to the country. The last time Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a keynote speech at WEF was in 2021, when the event was held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, since February 2022, nearly 2,000 Russian individuals and entities associated with the Kremlin that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine have been sanctioned. Their assets were frozen, and they were banned from entering the EU and other Western allies of Ukraine, including Switzerland.
Among the public figures attending the WEF in 2024, there is no one from Russia.
Asked whether Moscow was watching Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's keynote speech on Tuesday, Peskov replied: "We always closely follow statements from Kyiv."
Background. As a reminder, Zelenskyy spoke out against freezing the war in Davos, saying that "Putin is a predator who is not satisfied with frozen food." He does not believe that Putin is capable of changing, "because only people can do that."
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