With his usual triumphalism, honed over more than a quarter-century in power, Vladimir Putin is preparing to host the upper echelons of Russia's political and business world in Saint Petersburg starting on Wednesday, June 18. In his native city, inside the flamboyant exhibition center built far from the waters of the Neva River, the Kremlin leader will spend three days meeting top executives, holding talks with foreign delegations and giving media interviews. The event will culminate on Friday afternoon with the traditional presidential address – delivered to a carefully selected audience – long known as the highlight of what was once dubbed "Putin's Davos."

Surrounding the Kremlin chief, the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) will bustle for its 28^th edition and will feature around 200 panel discussions on topics ranging from the future of energy and global tax cooperation to youth careers, cybersecurity and the prospects for drones and new technologies. In 2024, organizers recorded 22,000 participants from 139 countries and regions, as well as the signing of 1,073 agreements that represented a potential value of over $60 billion. These were mainly agreements – or sometimes simple memoranda of understanding, rather than formal contracts – on the social and economic development of Russian regions, signed by regional governors and public groups.

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