On this pool {photograph} distributed by Russian state company Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin addresses the viewers in the course of the Future Applied sciences Discussion board on the World Commerce Middle in Moscow on February 14, 2024.
Alexander Kazakov | AFP | Getty Pictures
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned NATO nations of the hazard of a nuclear battle with Moscow, if NATO troops had been deployed on the bottom in Ukraine.
“[The West] should notice that we even have weapons that may hit targets on their territory. All this actually threatens a battle with the usage of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Do not they get that?” Putin mentioned in his annual State of the Nation tackle Thursday, in line with a EBU feed.
The feedback gave the impression to be a direct response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion earlier this week that European heads of state and Western officers, who had met in Paris on Monday, had talked about the opportunity of sending floor troops into Ukraine.
The French chief on Monday mentioned there was no consensus on the concept, however that it had not been “dominated out.”
The feedback have since despatched NATO nations scrambling to disclaim they’d ship troops into Ukraine, with Russia warning that such a deployment would immediate an “inevitable” Russia-NATO battle.
In his speech to Russian lawmakers on Thursday, which lasted over an hour, Putin accused the West of making an attempt to pull Moscow into an “arms race,” including that Russia was prepared for dialogue with the U.S. on “strategic stability,” however wouldn’t be compelled into talks.
He mentioned Russia is united because it faces the threats of “worldwide terrorism” and challenges to its sovereignty posed by the “colonial West” that, he mentioned, was making an attempt to “deliver discord to our dwelling.”
‘Ready to resolve probably the most tough duties’
“We will overcome every thing collectively,” Putin mentioned as he launched his tackle. He praised Russian residents, industries and companies, together with the nation’s troops in Ukraine, for his or her efforts in “defending the Motherland.”
“We now have confirmed that we’re ready to resolve probably the most tough duties and rise to probably the most tough challenges,” Putin mentioned.
“For instance, we’ve repelled the aggression of worldwide terrorism, we’ve preserved the unity of the nation, we’ve stopped it being torn aside, we’ve supported our brothers and sisters and their want to be with Russia,” he mentioned. “Our Motherland is standing up for its sovereignty and safety.”
The Russian chief led a minute’s silence to honor Russia’s armed forces, then extolled the “colossal” battlefield expertise they gained in the course of the two years of combating in Ukraine.
Putin mentioned Russian forces had been on the offensive and had been “liberating” new territories in Ukraine, as soon as once more repeating unsubstantiated claims that Russia is searching for to overthrow a “Nazi” regime within the nation. He added that the West had provoked the battle in Ukraine, and the Center East.
Home financial system
Putin then turned to home issues, encouraging Russians to have massive households and indicating his want to sort out low incomes and enhance life expectancy in Russia.
Measures to assist the financial system and Russian industries had been additionally introduced, with Putin calling for the home manufacturing of shopper items, medicines and autos to extend. He additionally inspired companies to spend money on the nation, calling for taxes on small and medium-sized corporations to be minimize.
The speech of Thursday was delivered to round 1,000 lawmakers and officers, religion leaders, diplomats and journalists. As was the case final yr, contributors in Russia’s “particular army operation” (code for conflict) in Ukraine have additionally been invited to the occasion — Putin’s nineteenth tackle of its variety.
The matters of the tackle are usually not normally revealed forward of the speech, however Putin mentioned final week that the upcoming message takes into consideration “the interior political calendar” and would set Russia’s targets for the following six years.
His speech comes lower than a month earlier than the presidential election on March 15-17 that Putin is predicted to win given the dearth of non-systemic opposition figures in Russia.
There’s hypothesis that Putin may use his State of the Nation tackle on Thursday to make some announcement about Transnistria, probably even bolstering Russia’s small army presence within the separatist area.
