State of the Union speech: Putin blames the West for the Ukraine war – and suspends the nuclear weapons control treaty

Watch the video: Putin blames the West for the Ukraine war – and suspends the nuclear weapons control treaty.

STORY: Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed the West for the war in Ukraine. Western states are trying to turn a local conflict into a global one, he said in a state of the nation address to both houses of parliament on Tuesday. “We understand it that way and we will react accordingly,” Putin said a few days before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin accused the West of striving for “limitless power”. “The flow of money from the West into the war is not drying up,” said Putin. Trillions of dollars are at stake for the West. Western countries had long since started turning Ukraine into a kind of “anti-Russia”. The West has sowed chaos and war in many regions of the world. “The West has let the genie out of the bottle,” Putin said. “Responsibility for the escalation in Ukraine lies with the Western elites.” Even before the start of what Putin called the special military operation in Ukraine, the government in Kiev had spoken to the West about arms deliveries, the Russian president said in his speech in Moscow. The West has cynically betrayed its own people. “We did everything to solve this problem peacefully and negotiate a peaceful way out of this difficult conflict, but a completely different scenario was being prepared behind our backs,” Putin said, referring to Donbass. Putin was convinced that the majority of the Russian population supports the government’s actions in defending Donbass. “I want to thank the Russian people for their determination and courage.” Putin promised financial support to the families of fallen soldiers and war veterans and announced a special state fund for this purpose. He will also suspend Russia’s participation in the New Start treaty with the US, which limits both sides’ strategic nuclear arsenals. “We are not withdrawing from it, but we are suspending our participation.” If the US conducts nuclear tests, Russia will do the same.