Vladimir Putin Speech LIVE: Russia to 'suspend its participation' in the New START nuclear arms control treaty

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Putin complains that US, NATO have allowed nuclear weapons inspections

Putin, in his speech, complains that the US and NATO have not been allowing nuclear weapons inspections. 

Putin claims that US, French and UK nuclear weapons are all aimed at Russia. “The latest statements of their leaders confirms this,” he said.

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US slams ‘absurdity’ of Putin’s anti-West speech

A top US official on Tuesday described President Vladimir Putin’s accusations that Russia had been threatened by the West as justification for invading Ukraine as  “absurdity.”

“Nobody is attacking Russia. There’s a kind of absurdity in the notion that Russia was under some form of military threat from Ukraine or anyone else,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters.

AFP

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UN releases new Ukraine death toll as Putin speaks

While Putin has been speaking, the UN Human Rights Office today issued figures for civilian casualties during one year of war in Ukraine.

Verified deaths now stand at 8,006, with a further 13,287 injured.

However, Matilda Bogner, of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, warned that the real figure would be much higher.

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Applause erupts as Putin quotes Tsarist official Pyotr Stolypin

Applause erupted and parliamentarians leapt to their feet as Putin quoted Tsarist official Pyotr Stolypin.

“In the cause of defending Russia we must all unify and coordinate our efforts, rights, and responsibilities to support Russia’s one historical, higher right – the right to be strong,” he recited, to a rapturous response.

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Putin says ’traitors’ in Russia must be brought to justice

President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russians who had chosen “the path of betrayal” must be brought to justice, as he gave his state of the nation address.

“Those who have embarked on the path of betrayal of Russia must be held accountable under the law,” Putin said, adding that authorities would not unleash a “witch hunt” against dissenters.

AFP

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Rumored conflicts ignored

Putin’s speech has frequently been interrupted by applause from the audience, which is made up of members of the Federal Assembly and also business and military leaders.

People in the packed hall have shown a united front even in the face of rumoured tensions among the top brass over the war in Ukraine.

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Putin claims West tries to economically suppress post-Soviet countries 

Putin claims that the Western countries never stopped trying to set post-Soviet countries on fire through means of economic suppression.

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Russian economy has withstood Western sanctions, says Putin

Putin says Russia has all the financial resources it needs to guarantee its national security and development despite sweeping economic sanctions imposed by the West over the war in Ukraine. 

Putin said the Russian domestic companies had rebuilt their supply chains in response to the sanctions. He also added that Moscow was working with other countries to build new payment systems and financial architecture.

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Putin says those in the West being led to ‘spiritual catastrophe’

Putin has reiterated criticism of the West as decadent, saying it is heading for “spiritual catastrophe”.

“They distort historical facts and constantly attack our culture, the Russian Orthodox Church, and other traditional religions of our country,’ Putin said.

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Putin focuses on improving economic connections

Putin, talking about his plans and ambitions for the future, focuses on improving economic connections. He talks about extending highways from Moscow to Kazan and with Mongolia and China, to increase Russia’s connections with east Asia.

Putin wants to develop an international north, and south corridor improving links with India, Iran and the middle east. Modernising railways and improving northern shipping routes are also part of his plans, Putin says.

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Record harvest in Russia

Putin takes a moment to thank farmers in Russia for what he calls a “record harvest” in the country.

He adds that he plans to increase the export of grain to 60 million tonnes by the end of 2023.

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Putin says he wants to build a safe system of international payments

Putin says he wants to build a safe system of international payments that will reduce dependence on the West.

He added that the Western sanctions designed to make the Russian people “suffer” did not succeed, and claims the share of Russian rubles in international transactions has “doubled”.

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Putin pledges support for Russian soldiers

Putin vows to create a special government foundation whose job it will be to provide targeted aid to participants in the so-called special military operation and their families.

He says it will coordinate social and medical support as well as employment and entrepreneurship and any issues will need to be settled in “real time”.

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Putin addresses concerns about treatment of soldiers, conscripts

Putin is addressing concerns about the treatment of soldiers and conscripts. Over the last year, several accounts have emerged denouncing the conditions that Russian troops are forced to train in and the lack of proper equipment and compensation for those who have died has often been deemed inadequate.

Putin seems to be trying to portray joining the army as a desirable endeavour by announcing higher wages, social security and concessions for homebuyers for those who work in the military sector.

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Putin says the initiators of anti-Russian economic sanctions are punishing themselves

Putin says the west has begun “not just a military and information, but an economic aggression” against Russia. “They have not achieved success in either of these areas,” he says.

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‘We are together now’: Putin mentions separatist Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk 

Putin goes on to mention the separatist Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as he calls the people there brothers and sisters, adding “we are now together again, that means we become even stronger”.

He adds he can’t wait for the “long-awaited peace to return to our homeland”.

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Impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield says Putin

Putin says the West “cannot fail to realize that it is impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield,” which is why it is waging “more and more aggressive information attacks” on Russia’s “traditional values” that target the younger generation.

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Putin says Kyiv ‘regime’ has taken Ukrainian people ‘hostage’

Putin has accused Ukraine’s leaders of taking the country’s population “hostage”, adding Kyiv is “serving the interests of foreign powers”.

“The people of Ukraine themselves have become hostages of the Kyiv regime and its Western masters, who have actually occupied this country in a political, military, and economic sense,” the Russian leader said.

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Putin says West seeks global confrontation with Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Western countries sought to turn the Ukraine conflict into a global confrontation with Russia and that Russia’s existence was at stake.

“They intend to translate the local conflict into a global confrontation, we understand it this way and will react accordingly,” Putin told lawmakers.

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Putin vows to press offensive in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday vowed to “systematically” press on with Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine, as he gave his state of the nation address.

“Step by step, we will carefully and systematically solve the aims that face us,” Putin said ahead of the first anniversary of the military intervention.

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Putin thanks those in the Russian armed forces who have been fighting in Ukraine

Putin thanked those in the Russian armed forces who have been fighting in Ukraine. He says there are too many people and units involved to name them all and he did not want to risk omitting someone. He praises mothers, wives, doctors, nurses, railway workers, engineers, and agricultural workers for their role in helping the war effort.

He also thanked “military journalists” who, he says, are “risking their lives to tell the truth to the whole world.”

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Putin says they were open to dialogue with the west 

The Russian president said they were open to dialogue with the west and were open to an equal system of security, but “in response, we were getting dishonest answers” and specific actions to expand NATO and deploy new anti-missile systems in Europe. He says “the whole planet is dotted” with US bases.

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‘The west released the genie from the bottle’, says Putin

Putin accuses the west of “an endless flow of accusations against Russia” at the recent Munich security conference and says “the west released the genie from the bottle” as a result of wars, and accuses the west of perpetrating multiple coups.

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Ukrainian people were ‘hostages of their western masters’, says Putin

Putin claims the Ukrainian people had become “hostages of their western masters” who occupied the country in political, economic and military terms. He says “the regime is not serving their national interest. They are serving the interests of foreign powers.”

He says the west is trying to turn a local conflict into a global conflict and “we will react in an appropriate way. We are talking about the existence of our country.”

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Putin claims Ukraine ‘started the war’ over Donbas

Putin says Russia tried to settle the conflict in the Donbas region which had been simmering since early 2014 by peaceful means but was eventually forced to take action.

“We were doing everything possible to solve this problem peacefully, negotiating a peaceful way out of this difficult conflict, but behind our backs, a very different scenario was being prepared,” the Russian leader said.

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Putin accuses West of withdrawing from ‘fundamental agreements’ 

“Ukraine and Donbas have become a symbol of total lies,” Putin says, accusing the West of withdrawing from “fundamental agreements” and giving “hypocritical statements” as well as expanding Nato and “covering us with an umbrella”.

“I want to repeat: it is them who are culpable for the war, and we are using force to stop it,” Putin says to great applause.

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Putin claims Russia tried to settle the conflict in the Donbas region by peaceful means

Putin continues by claiming Russia tried to settle the conflict in the Donbas region by peaceful means.

He says the West’s commitment to peace turned out to be “fraud”, and a “cruel lie” and claims Kyiv was trying to gather biological and nuclear weapons.

“We were doing everything possible to solve this problem peacefully, negotiating a peaceful way out of this difficult conflict, but behind our backs, a very different scenario was being prepared.

“They [the West] were just playing for time, closing their eyes to political assassinations, mistreatment of believers,” he said.

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Ukraine used peace deals with its Western allies to strengthen its military, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin in his speech said that Ukraine used peace deals with its Western allies to strengthen its military.

Putin is delivering a major speech to Russia’s elite to give his analysis of the international situation and give an assessment of what he calls a “special military operation”.

Putin also added that Russia was sincerely looking for a peaceful resolution for Donbas.

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Belarus claims Ukrainian military grouped near border

Belarus says there is a “significant grouping” of Ukrainian forces at its border.

“At present, a significant grouping of the Ukrainian army is concentrated in the immediate vicinity of the Belarusian-Ukrainian section of the state border,” the defence ministry said in a post on Telegram.

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Russia ‘paid close attention’ to Biden’s Kyiv visit

A Russian-state-owned news agency says the Kremlin kept a close eye on US President Joe Biden’s visit to Kyiv yesterday.

However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the visit as “nothing extraordinary”.

Peskov also added that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t be watching Biden’s address in Poland later today.

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Italy considers sending warplanes to war-torn Ukraine: Report

The Italian government is confidentially examining options for sending military jets to Kiev, according to a report.

A deal involving up to five planes could be struck during Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s upcoming visit to the Ukrainian capital, Russia Today reported citing an article in Italian daily La Repubblica.

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Biden, after trip to Ukraine, to meet NATO allies in Poland

President Joe Biden, fresh from a visit to Kyiv, was set to reaffirm to U.S. allies on Tuesday that the United States is squarely behind Ukraine and committed to bolstering NATO’s eastern flank as the anniversary of Russia’s invasion approaches.

Biden arrived in Warsaw late on Monday after a dramatic visit to Kyiv where he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is seeking more weaponry as Ukraine gears up for a spring offensive against the Russians.

Biden was due to meet Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss collective support for Ukraine and thank Warsaw for helping the United States and other countries to deliver military and humanitarian aid.

Reuters

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Russian state TV channel runs countdown to President Putin’s speech

Russian state TV channel Rossiya 24 has been running a countdown to President Vladimir Putin’s speech. Commentators expect it to focus on the war and the economy. Soldiers taking part in the war, along with their relatives, are expected to be in attendance, as are members of Russia’s upper and lower houses of Parliament, and regional governors.

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No foreign guests invited

No foreign guests have been invited to Putin’s speech, according to his spokesman.

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Putin’s armoured motorcade heads to Kremlin as he prepares for major speech 

Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s huge armoured motorcade has been seen heading to the Kremlin as the Russian president prepares to give a major address to the nation three days before the anniversary of the Ukraine invasion.

He will also update Russia‘s elite and give a speech to members of both houses of Russia‘s parliament, as well as to military commanders and soldiers.

Putin will provide his analysis of the international situation and could outline further plans for Russia as the West continues to impose crippling sanctions.

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Biden to rally allies as Ukraine war gets more complicated

President Joe Biden is set to consult with allies from NATO’s eastern flank in Poland on Tuesday as the Russian invasion of Ukraine edges toward an even more complicated stage.

After paying an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Biden made his way to Warsaw on Monday on a mission to solidify Western unity as both Ukraine and Russia prepare to launch spring offensives. The conflict — the most significant war in Europe since World War II — has already left tens of thousands dead, devastated Ukraine’s infrastructure system and damaged the global economy.

“I thought it was critical that there not be any doubt, none whatsoever, about U.S. support for Ukraine in the war,” Biden said as he stood with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv before departing for Poland. “The Ukrainian people have stepped up in a way that few people ever have in the past.”

AP

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Nearly 19,000 casualties recorded in Ukraine, according to UN

There have been at least 18,955 civilian casualties since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The OHCHR released the report citing the number of casualties as being 7,199 killed and 11,756 injured but believes the actual figures are considerably higher.

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Evoking the past to defend the present

Observers in Russia will be listening to see if President Putin continues his trend of trying to invoke past Russian victories like during World War II to defend against the invasion amid setbacks in Ukraine.

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Russian economy contracts by 2.1% in 2022: Rosstat

The Russian economy contracted by 2.1 per cent last year, the government’s statistics agency Rosstat said Monday, absorbing Western sanctions over Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine better than expected.

The data was published on the eve of a keenly awaited speech to parliament by President Vladimir Putin, days before the first anniversary of the launch of Russia’s offensive against Ukraine on 24 February.

AFP