Over a year after the Kremlin’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbour that has murdered tens of thousands of people, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed any guilt for Moscow. He blamed Western nations of starting and maintaining the war in Ukraine.
Putin claimed that both Russia and Ukraine were the victims of Western deceit in his long-delayed state-of-the-nation speech, and that Russia, not Ukrainian, was the country battling for its very survival.
Days before the war’s first anniversary on Friday, Putin stated in a speech, “We are not attacking the Ukrainian people. The Kyiv dictatorship and its Western patrons, who have essentially invaded the nation, have turned Ukraine into a captive.
The address rehashed a laundry list of complaints the Russian leader has previously presented as reasons for the internationally denounced conflict and disregarded international calls to withdraw from Ukrainian territory that has been taken.
Searching for clues about how Putin views the stalemated battle and the tone he could establish for the upcoming year is anticipated from observers.
In the confrontation that has rekindled worries of a new Cold War, the Russian leader declared no military pause in the Ukrainian lands he has unlawfully invaded and appeared to reject any diplomatic overtures.
Instead, he provided his own interpretation of recent events, discounting the Ukrainian government’s claims that assistance from the West was necessary to prevent a Russian military takeover.
In the address that was carried on all state TV stations, Putin stated that “Western elites are not attempting to disguise their aims, to inflict a “strategic loss” on Russia.”
“They want to escalate the regional war into a worldwide one.”
Russia is ready to respond to it, he continued, since “it will be a question of our country’s existence.” Although the president is required by the constitution to give the statement every year, Putin failed to do it in 2022 as his soldiers advanced into Ukraine and encountered several obstacles.
