Tuesday, almost a year after Moscow’s aggressive invasion of its neighbor that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Western nations of starting and fueling 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 address, and that Russia, not Ukrainian, was the country fighting 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 country, have turned Ukraine into a hostage.
The address recited a laundry list of complaints that the Russian leader has regularly cited as justification 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 might set for the upcoming year is expected 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 illegally invaded and appeared to reject any diplomatic overtures.
Instead, he provided his own interpretation of recent events, ignoring Ukrainian government claims that assistance from the West was necessary to prevent a Russian military takeover.
In the address that was broadcast on all state TV stations, Putin stated that “Western elites are not trying to conceal their aims, to inflict a “strategic loss” on Russia.” “They want to escalate the regional conflict into a worldwide one.”
As “it will be a matter of our country’s existence,” he continued, Russia is ready to retaliate.
Putin did not give a speech in 2022, despite the Constitution’s need that he do so, as his army advanced into Ukraine and had numerous setbacks.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated before the address that the Russian leader will emphasize the “special military operation” in Ukraine, as Moscow refers to it, as well as Russia’s economy and social problems. Numerous observers had assumed that it would also address Moscow’s rift with the West, and Putin opened by criticizing those nations harshly.
“They are the ones that ignited the conflict. And to stop it, we’re employing force, “Putin addressed a group of lawmakers, government representatives, and Ukrainian war veterans.
As the West is aware that “it is impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield,” Putin accused the West of waging “aggressive information attacks” and attacking Russian culture, religion, and values.
In addition, he claimed that Western countries were using sanctions to wage an economic war against Russia, but they had “not achieved anything” and would not.
Putin added that Russia would stop taking part in a deal meant to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. In 2010, Russia and the US signed the so-called New START Treaty. It restricts the use of missiles that can carry atomic weapons and sets a limit on the number of long-range nuclear warheads they are allowed to deploy.
Putin stated that Russia has not yet completed its withdrawal from the treaty. If the US does so, Putin warned, Russia must be prepared to resume nuclear weapon tests.
Some state TV channels began broadcasting a countdown for the event on Monday, highlighting the anticipation in advance. On Tuesday morning, Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti speculated that the address would be “historic.”
This year, the Kremlin banned media from “unfriendly” nations, which included the United States, the United Kingdom, and the EU. Journalists from those countries will be able to cover the speech by viewing the transmission, according to Peskov.
Putin’s “work schedule,” according to Peskov, was the reason for the speech’s delay, but Russian media outlets connected it to the several defeats Russian forces have encountered on the ground in Ukraine.
The state of the nation address by the Russian president had previously been postponed: In 2017, the speech was rescheduled for early 2018.
Putin’s news conference and a heavily choreographed phone-in marathon where citizens could ask the president questions were also scrapped by the Kremlin last year.
As a result of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Kyiv on Monday, analysts predicted that Putin’s speech would be challenging. Later on Tuesday, Biden is scheduled to deliver his own speech in Poland, where he is anticipated to emphasize the central European nation’s and other allies’ support of Ukraine over the previous year.
According to Jake Sullivan, national security adviser for the White House, Biden’s speech wouldn’t be “some kind of head to head” with Putin’s.
This isn’t a debate with anyone else, she said.