Putin says US unilateralism undermines global trade Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticised the United States for using pressure and sanctions to maintain its economic supremacy, hurting international trade and eroding global stability.

Speaking Friday at an investment forum in St. Petersburg, the Russian leader said the U.S. has turned its currency into an "instrument of pressure," undermining trust in the U.S. dollar and damaging its own interests. Putin said the U.S. attempt to "spread its jurisdiction to the entire world" challenges the global order.

Flanked by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the forum's panel, Putin said that the U.S. action against Chinese telecom giant Huawei represented an attempt to "blatantly squeeze it out of the global market," marking "the first technological war of the digital era.