Putin calls Pelosi an ‘irresponsible politician’ as he denounces US Speaker’s recent Taiwan visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Nancy Pelosi an ”irresponsible politician” on August 16, 2022, during a speech when he broke his silence on the Taiwan crisis and the US House Speaker’s recent visit to the self-ruled island. Pelosi’s whirlwind trip in early August angered mainland China, which sees Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of it. Putin said the US “once again deliberately tried to add fuel to the fire and stir up the situation in the Asia-Pacific region”. Observers said his comment shows the strengthening of Sino-Russian relations. Putin’s remarks were in his opening speech at the Moscow Conference on International Security, attended by defence chiefs from 35 countries. While most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state, Washington opposes any attempt to take the island by force.