Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended Moscow’s participation within the final remaining nuclear arms management pact with the U.S., asserting the transfer Tuesday in a bitter speech the place he made clear he wouldn’t change his technique within the struggle in Ukraine.
In his long-delayed state-of-the-nation handle, Putin solid his nation — and Ukraine — as victims of Western double-dealing and mentioned it was Russia, not Ukraine, combating for its very existence.
“We aren’t fighting the Ukrainian people,” Putin mentioned in a speech days earlier than the struggle’s first anniversary on Friday. “The Ukrainian people have become hostages of the Kyiv regime and its Western masters, which have effectively occupied the country.”
The speech reiterated a litany of grievances that the Russian chief has incessantly provided as justification for the extensively condemned navy marketing campaign whereas vowing no navy let-up in a battle that has reawakened fears of a brand new Cold War.
On prime of that, Putin sharply upped the ante by declaring that Moscow would droop its participation within the so-called New START Treaty. The pact, signed in 2010 by the U.S. and Russia, caps the variety of long-range nuclear warheads the 2 sides can deploy and limits the usage of missiles that may carry atomic weapons.
Putin additionally mentioned that Russia ought to stand able to resume nuclear weapons exams if the U.S. does so, a transfer that might finish a world ban on such exams in place for the reason that Cold War period.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described Moscow’s choice as “really unfortunate and very irresponsible.”
“We’ll be watching carefully to see what Russia actually does,” he mentioned throughout a go to to Greece.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and made a splash towards Kyiv, apparently anticipating to shortly overrun the capital. But stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces — backed by Western weapons — turned again Moscow’s troops. While Ukraine has reclaimed many areas initially seized by Russia, the 2 sides have turn into slowed down in tit-for-tat battles in others.
The struggle has revived the outdated Russia-West divide, reinvigorated the NATO alliance, and created the largest menace to Putin’s greater than two-decade rule. U.S. President Joe Biden, recent off a shock go to to Kyiv, was in Poland on Tuesday on a mission to solidify that Western unity — and deliberate his personal speech.
Observers have been anticipated to scour Putin’s handle for any indicators of how the Russian chief sees the battle, the place he would possibly take it and the way it would possibly finish. While the Constitution mandates that the president ship the speech yearly, Putin by no means gave one in 2022, as his troops rolled into Ukraine and suffered repeated setbacks.
Much of the speech coated outdated floor, as Putin provided his personal model of current historical past, discounting arguments by the Ukrainian authorities that it wanted Western assist to thwart a Russian navy takeover.
“Western elites aren’t trying to conceal their goals, to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ to Russia,” Putin mentioned within the speech broadcast by all state TV channels. “They intend to transform the local conflict into a global confrontation.”
He added that Russia was ready to reply since “it will be a matter of our country’s existence.” He has repeatedly depicted NATO’s enlargement to incorporate international locations near Russia as an existential menace to his nation.
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who was in Ukraine on Tuesday, mentioned she had hoped that Putin might need taken a special strategy.
“What we heard this morning was propaganda that we already know,” Meloni mentioned in English. “He says (Russia) worked on diplomacy to avoid the conflict, but the truth is that there is somebody who is the invader and somebody who is defending itself.”
Putin denied any wrongdoing, even because the Kremlin’s forces in Ukraine strike civilian targets, together with hospitals, and are extensively accused of struggle crimes. On the bottom Tuesday, the Ukrainian navy reported that Russian forces shelled southern cities of Kherson and Ochakiv whereas Putin spoke, killing six folks.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lamented that Russian forces have been “again mercilessly killing the civilian population.”
Many observers predicted Putin’s speech would handle Moscow’s fallout with the West — and Putin started with robust phrases for these international locations which have supplied Kyiv with essential navy help and warned them in opposition to supplying any longer-range weapons.
“It’s they who have started the war. And we are using force to end it,” Putin mentioned earlier than an viewers of lawmakers, state officers and troopers who’ve fought in Ukraine.
Putin additionally accused the West of taking intention at Russian tradition, faith and values as a result of it’s conscious that “it is impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield.”
Likewise, he mentioned Western sanctions would haven’t any impact, saying they hadn’t “achieved anything and will not achieve anything.”
Underscoring the anticipation forward of the speech, some state TV channels put out a countdown for the occasion beginning on Monday. Reflecting the Kremlin’s clampdown on free speech and press, this 12 months it barred media from “unfriendly” international locations, the listing of which incorporates the U.S., the U.Okay. and people within the EU. Peskov mentioned journalists from these nations will have the ability to cowl the speech by watching the printed.
He beforehand advised reporters that the speech’s delay needed to do with Putin’s “work schedule,” however Russian media studies linked it to the setbacks of Russian forces. The Russian president postponed the state-of-the-nation handle earlier than, in 2017.
Last 12 months, the Kremlin additionally canceled two different large annual occasions — Putin’s press convention and a extremely scripted phone-in marathon the place folks ask the president questions.
Analysts anticipated Putin’s speech can be powerful within the wake of Biden’s go to to Kyiv on Monday. In his his personal speech later Tuesday, Biden is anticipated to focus on the dedication of the central European nation and different allies to Ukraine over the previous 12 months.
White House nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan mentioned that Biden’s handle wouldn’t be “some kind of head to head” with Putin’s.
“This is not a rhetorical contest with anyone else,” mentioned.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”