MOSCOW.- Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged Thursday to meet Moscow’s goals in Ukraine and warned the West against further involvement in the war, saying it could spark a global nuclear conflict.
The president issued the forceful warning during his speech on the state of the nation, on the eve of the presidential elections in March where, almost certainly, he will obtain re-election and stressed his willingness to raise the stakes in his fight with the West to protect the advances made by Russian forces in the neighboring country.
In an apparent reference to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron’s words earlier this week that a possible deployment of Western ground troops in Ukraine should not be “ruled out,” Putin warned that this would have “tragic” consequences for those who decide to do so. .
Putin stressed that while accusing the Kremlin of planning attacks against NATO partners in Europe, Western allies were “selecting targets to attack our territory” and “talking about the possibility of sending a NATO contingent to Ukraine.”
“We remember the fate of those who sent their contingents of troops to the territory of our country,” said the Russian leader in an apparent allusion to the failed invasions of Napoleon and Hitler. “Now, the consequences for potential invaders will be much more tragic.” .
In his two-hour speech to an audience of lawmakers and senior officials, Putin called Western leaders reckless and irresponsible and declared that they should take into account that “we also have weapons that can attack targets on their territory, and that what “Now they are suggesting and with what they are frightening the world, poses the real threat of a nuclear conflict that will mean the destruction of our civilization.”
This forceful statement follows previous warnings from the president, who has frequently recalled the Kremlin’s nuclear power since he sent his troops to the neighboring country in February 2022 in an attempt to dissuade the West from expanding its military support to Kiev.
Putin stressed that Russian nuclear forces are “fully prepared” and added that the military has deployed powerful new weapons, some of them tested on battlefields in Ukraine.
The Kremlin leader noted that among them was the new Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, which has entered service with nuclear forces, as well as the Burevestnik atomic-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon atomic-powered nuclear drone, which are finishing their tests. .
At the same time, he called claims by Western leaders about the threat of a Russian attack on NATO allies in Europe “ravings” and again rejected Washington’s claim that Moscow is considering deploying space nuclear weapons. .
Putin said those accusations were part of a strategy to bring Russia into talks on nuclear arms control on the White House’s terms, although Washington continues its efforts to bring about a “strategic defeat” to Moscow in Ukraine.
“On the eve of the American elections, only those who show their citizens, as well as others, that they continue to rule the world,” he said. “It won’t work.”
In his speech, very focused on the economy and social issues, Putin said that Russia was “defending its sovereignty and security and protecting our compatriots” in Ukraine and noted that its troops have an advantage in the war.
He also reaffirmed his claim that the West was hell-bent on destroying Russia because “they need a dependent, shrinking, dying space in Russia’s place so they can do whatever they want.”
Putin honored soldiers killed in combat in Ukraine with a minute of silence and noted that army veterans should form the core of the country’s new elite, inviting them to join a new training program for civil servants.
The president has repeated that he sent Russian troops to Ukraine to protect Moscow’s interests and prevent Ukraine from becoming a major security threat by joining NATO. kyiv and its allies called the Kremlin’s offensive an unprovoked act of aggression.
The Russian leader has repeatedly indicated his desire to negotiate an end to the conflict but has warned that Russia will retain the conquered territory.
Putin, 71 years old and running as an independent candidate in the elections to be held between March 15 and 17, trusts in the tight control of the Russian political system that he has established during his 24 years in power.
The most prominent critics who might challenge him are imprisoned or living abroad, and most independent media have been banned, meaning Putin’s re-election is all but guaranteed. On the ballot there will be three other candidates named by Kremlin-allied parties with parliamentary representation.
The best-known opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, whose bid to challenge Putin in the 2018 election was rejected, died suddenly in an Arctic penal colony earlier this month while serving a 19-year sentence for extremism. His funeral will be held on Friday.
Source: With information from AP
