President of Russia, Vladimir Putin has vowed to ‘systematically’ continue Ukraine’s offensive attack.
He made the statement on Tuesday while addressing the Federal Assembly (both Houses of Parliament) in Moscow as part of his annual address.
Putin blamed the West for starting the war that has lingered for a year and seems like not ending anytime soon.
The president who said the West is “completely” responsible for the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, added that Moscow was defying the West’s attempts to ruin Russia’s economy through an unprecedented package of sanctions, saying trillions of dollars were at stake for the West, but Russia’s income flows had not dried up. “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.
“The existence of our country is at stake”, says Putin. He adds that it is impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield. “The responsibility for escalation in Ukraine lies with Western Elites,” he says.
Putin says the West has stolen Russia’s gold and forex reserves. “Their aim is to make our people suffer,” he says, adding that the Russian economy has proven far more strong than they thought in the West.
President Putin also said that he understood how difficult it was for relatives of Russian soldiers who had died fighting in Ukraine, adding that he would provide them “targeted support” with a new special fund.
“We all understand, I understand how unbearably hard it is now for the wives, sons, daughters of fallen soldiers, their parents, who raised worthy defenders of the Fatherland,” Putin told lawmakers in Russia’s parliament.
Putin further accused the West of wanting ‘to be done with Russia’
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He stated that Russia would never yield to Western attempts to divide its society, using a major speech before the country’s two houses of parliament to say the majority of Russians support his military campaign in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, he proposed setting up a special state fund to support veterans and fallen soldiers. “Russians back military campaign in Ukraine”, says Putin.
He said the West was supporting “traitors” who opposed Russia’s actions and thanked Russians for their “courage and resolution” in supporting what Moscow calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
“New Ukranian territories made their choice to be with Russia despite threats of Nazis”, says Putin. He adds, “We will increase social support programmes for new territories.”
“We will do everything for peace to return to our land,” says Putin.
“Step by step, carefully and consistently, we will resolve the tasks facing us. Since 2014, the (people of the) Donbas had been fighting, defending their right to live on their own land and to speak their native language. They fought and did not give up in the conditions of blockade and constant shelling, undisguised hatred on the part of the Kyiv regime. They believed and expected that Russia would come to their rescue. Meanwhile, we did our best to solve this problem by peaceful means. We patiently tried to negotiate a peaceful way out of this most difficult conflict, but a completely different scenario was being prepared behind our backs.”
According to Putin, “West is diverting people’s attention from corruption scandals, other problems. West’s goal is to have limitless power.
“We did everything possible to resolve the Donbas problem peacefully, but the West prepared a different scenario”, Putin said.
