Vladimir Putin delivered a combative state-of-the nation speech on Tuesday, blaming the West for the war in Ukraine and warning of a global confrontation. The Russian President sought to justify the invasion, claiming it had been forced on Russia and that he understood the pain of the families of those who had fallen in battle. Putin also announced that Russia would suspend participation in the New START treaty, the last major pillar of post-Cold War nuclear arms control between Moscow and Washington.
NATO and other global powers immediately urged Moscow against withdrawing from the treaty, which caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the US and Russia may deploy and the deployment of land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them. Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world with close to 6,000 warheads, according to experts.
Putin also condemned same-sex marriage and cast the government in Kyiv as taking the Ukrainian people “hostage” for failing to address their needs. He said Moscow had tried to settle the conflict in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region by peaceful means but was eventually forced to take action. The West and aspiring NATO and European Union member Ukraine strongly reject that narrative and say NATO’s expansion eastwards after the Cold War is no justification for what they say is an imperial-style land grab doomed to failure.
The Russian leader claimed Russia is locked in an existential battle with the West, which, he says, wants to carve up Russia and steal its vast natural resources. Putin said Russia would never yield to Western attempts to divide its society, adding that a majority of Russians support the war. Polling by the Levada Centre indicates around 75 percent of Russians back Russian actions in Ukraine while 19 percent do not and 6 percent do not know.
Reactions to Putin’s speech were mixed. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan denounced the claims in Putin’s speech, saying “nobody is attacking Russia”. Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s president, said Putin’s speech demonstrated his “irrelevance and confusion”. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the speech “propaganda” and said she had hoped for something more constructive.
Vladimir Putin’s state-of-the nation speech on Tuesday was combative and accusatory, blaming the West for the war in Ukraine and warning of a global confrontation. The Russian President sought to justify his country’s invasion of Ukraine, claiming it had been forced on Russia and that he understood the pain of those who had lost their lives in battle. Putin also announced that Russia would suspend its participation in the New START treaty, a major post-Cold War nuclear arms control agreement between Moscow and Washington.
Global powers such as NATO immediately urged Moscow against withdrawing from the treaty, which caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the US and Russia may deploy and the deployment of land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them. Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world with close to 6,000 warheads, according to experts.
In his speech, Putin also condemned same-sex marriage and castigated the government in Kyiv for taking the Ukrainian people “hostage” for failing to address their needs. He said Moscow had tried to settle the conflict in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region by peaceful means but was eventually forced to take action. The West and aspiring NATO and European Union member Ukraine strongly reject that narrative and say NATO’s expansion eastwards after the Cold War is no justification for what they say is an imperial-style land grab doomed to failure.
Putin claimed Russia is locked in an existential battle with the West, which, he says, wants to carve up Russia and steal its vast natural resources. He said Russia would never yield to Western attempts to divide its society, adding that a majority of Russians support the war. Polling by the Levada Centre indicates around 75 percent of Russians back Russian actions in Ukraine while 19 percent do not and 6 percent do not know.
Reactions to Putin’s speech were mixed. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan denounced the claims in Putin’s speech, saying “nobody is attacking Russia”. Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s president, said Putin’s speech demonstrated his “irrelevance and confusion”. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the speech “propaganda” and said she had hoped for something more constructive. Despite this criticism, many Russians still support Putin’s actions in Ukraine, with three-quarters expecting their country to be victorious in the conflict.