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Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó made a brief appearance at SPIEF 2023 (Photo: Nina Zotina/RIA Novosti)

Feature

Fringe EU guests demonstrate decline of 'Putin's Davos'

Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó made a brief appearance at SPIEF 2023 (Photo: Nina Zotina/RIA Novosti)

Hungary's foreign minister was the best-known European VIP at the St. Petersburg economic forum this year, highlighting how far Russia's one-time bid to rival Davos has gone downhill.

St Petersburg's odd assortment of speakers from Austria and Germany told the same tale.

In mid-June, as EU diplomats were finalising the 11th round of Russia sanctions in Brussels, Russian president Vladimir Putin was hosting the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). The event ran 14-1...

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Author Bio

Mikhail Komin is editor at independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe, and currently a resident journalist at EUobserver.

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