Putin faces rival visions of war and peace at Russia's 'Davos'
President Vladimir Putin faced two rival outlines of Russia's future as he hosted his premier annual investment conference with the war in Ukraine unabated.
Some participants at the glitzy St Petersburg International Economic Forum said Russia should fight on and gird for global confrontation with the West, News.az reports, citing Reuters.
Others highlighted the economic benefits to be reaped from ending a war that came almost to the forum's doorstep when Ukrainian drones hit a St Petersburg oil terminal and naval base on Wednesday, sending smoke billowing over parts of the city.
The conflicting narratives illustrate the debate under way among political and business leaders over what the future should hold for Russia, and the domestic influences on Putin after more than four years of war in Ukraine.
By Faig Mahmudov
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