In his state-of-the-nation address, Putin blamed the West for the war in Ukraine and cast Russia as the victim, in another attempt at justifying the conflict.
“It’s they who have started the war. And we are using force to end it,” Putin said before an audience of lawmakers, state officials and soldiers who have fought in Ukraine.”
Putin stated that the Ukrainian government is protecting the interests of its “Western masters” rather than the country’s own national interests.
“The Kyiv regime and their Western masters have completely taken over the economy of the country,” the Russian president claimed.
Meanwhile, Putin also said that Russia would suspend its participation in a treaty aimed at keeping a lid on nuclear weapons expansion. The START treaty was signed by Russia and the U.S. in 2010. (It caps the number of long-range nuclear warheads they can deploy and limits the use of missiles that can carry atomic weapons.)