At 10.05 Norwegian time, the Russian president started his annual address to the nation. Vladimir Putin used the entire start of the speech to justify why it was necessary to launch the attack on Ukraine on 24 February last year, which he himself still calls “a special military operation”. Putin gives his speech in the Manezien exhibition space in central Moscow. Photo: DMITRY ASTAKHOV / AFP He said that the goal of Ukraine and the West was not only to take control of Donbas, but also Crimea and the naval base of Sevastopol, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. – Ukraine has now become a hostage to Western interests, said Putin, and believed that the West’s support, not least with weapons, had helped to escalate the conflict. Also in this case: the New Start agreement on ice He also said that what is happening now is a threat to Russia’s entire existence as an independent state. He totally rejected the demand from NATO to resume the system of inspections of nuclear installations. – This is completely absurd, he said further, and pointed to the West’s military support for Ukraine. – But we are not walking away from previous agreements, but we are putting them on ice, he added, and pointed to what is known as the Ny Start agreement. He also said that previous agreements on the control of nuclear weapons, including in 1991, were concluded in a completely different political climate, with trust between the parties. – This is gone now, Putin said. The entire Russian elite gathered in the Manezje near the Kremlin Castle on Tuesday to hear President Vladimir Putin’s address to the nation. Photo: SPUTNIK / Reuters NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, together with the Ukrainian foreign minister and the EU foreign affairs chief. He expressed his disappointment that Putin has chosen to put his part of the New Start agreement on hold, and urged the country to reconsider the decision. The NATO chief responded this afternoon to the statements in Putin’s annual speech. Photo: Sven Hoppe / AP – Today’s decision on New Start means that the entire arms control architecture has fallen apart, he said, referring to the agreements that came into place in Europe after the Cold War. – This makes the world more dangerous and shows how important it is that all countries that believe in rules-based international order, freedom and democracy stick together. Stoltenberg further said that Putin has made it clear that “he is preparing for more war”. – Russia is launching more offensives, mobilizing more soldiers, and reaching out to North Korea and Iran. – We are also becoming increasingly concerned that China may be planning deadly support for Russia’s war. The NATO chief today held a press conference with the Ukrainian foreign minister (f) and the EU foreign affairs chief (h). Photo: Virginia Mayo / AP The foreign affairs chief of the EU, Josep Borell, said that they have been asking for a ceasefire side for a long time, and agrees that Russia’s decision on the New Start agreement marks a shift. – What Russia is doing is tearing down the security system that was built after the end of the Cold War. – So in the short term we have to work on sending ammunition quickly. It’s about weeks. And we have to start thinking about what the new security system will be like. Putin thanked the Russian people for supporting the “special operation”, and he promised a separate fund to support those affected by the war. – All families of killed military personnel must have their own coordinator who helps them, Putin promised, and asked for a moment of silence to remember all those who have been killed in Ukraine. A family in Moscow follows President Putin’s speech via television. Photo: YURI KADOBNOV / AFP He also said that the further development and training of the military forces must learn from the experiences of the “special operation”. Putin said that the West is also using sanctions and economics to hit Russia, and where the goal is for the Russian people to suffer as well. – But the West has not succeeded in breaking our economy, said Putin. Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the West full responsibility for the war in Ukraine. Photo: SPUTNIK / Reuters It is expected that the speech will last far beyond the hour set by the state-controlled Russian TV channels. The news agency Interfax writes that correspondents and journalists from what are defined as unfriendly countries are not invited or accredited to the press conference. This applies, among other things, to news and most other correspondents from European countries. According to press spokesman Peskov, they of course have the opportunity to follow the speech via TV channels. Ukraine: On its knees, but not beaten When Putin announced on February 24, 2022, that he had ordered what he called “a special military operation” to remove what he called a neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine while liberating the country’s oppressed Russian-speaking residents, he had probably expected that this would be over within a few weeks. A year later, and with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians killed, this goal is far from being achieved. Russia’s attack on Ukraine has caused enormous destruction and displaced many millions of people. Nevertheless, Putin said in his speech that the “special operation” is successful, because Russia has occupied large parts of the eastern and southern part of Ukraine, and now controls a land connection to the Krym peninsula, which Russia already annexed in 2014. – The entire Sea of Azov is now controlled by us, Putin said, promising investment in infrastructure and jobs in the areas that Russia now says it has annexed. Among those present during Putin’s speech was Volodymyr Saldo, the former mayor of Kherson, who has now defected to the Russian occupation authorities. Ukraine’s “trophy weapon”: Formerly Russian But he did not go into detail about the huge losses Russia has suffered, including the cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, or the humiliating retreat of Kherson, the only regional capital Russian forces managed to capture during the spring offensive 2022. Vladimir Putin gave his 2022 New Year’s speech in front of a group of people in uniform. Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev / AP There is tension about whether Putin will announce new mobilizations of soldiers for the war in Ukraine. But many believe that this will not be directly touched upon in the speech, because this is very unpopular in large parts of the population. In practice, a quiet mobilization is taking place in Russia continuously, and it is estimated that around 1/2 million soldiers have already been called up to fight in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s speech comes the day after US President Joe Biden visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. When Putin announced a “partial mobilization” in Russia, it led to large demonstrations. Photo: AP A clear message to Putin and Xi President Vladimir Putin’s speech has been made into a major event in Russia, and traffic in parts of the capital Moscow has been stopped both today and tomorrow, Wednesday. There will also be a big concert at the Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday 22 February, where, according to the Meduza news agency, it is expected that Putin himself will also participate. Vladimir Putin said in his speech that all elections in Russia must take place within the current laws, including the presidential election in 2024. These laws have been changed several times, and make it possible for Putin to stand for election both next year and in 2030.
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– The West is responsible for the conflict continuing – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
