“We will achieve our goals. We wanted peace, but the West deceived us”. The Russian president Vladimir Putin in his speech to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, he returns to giving his own interpretation of the conflict in Ukraine with the usual rhetorical stunt on the need to "defend our country and liquidate the threat of the neo-Nazi regime". A speech in which the reasons for the "military operation" are mystified. Nothing new, we are still at odds with each other. Three days after the first anniversary of the outbreak of war, which began on February 24, 2022, a "peaceful" resolution of it is becoming increasingly distant.
But in two hours of speech, as many analysts suspected, Putin did not communicate significant news. The Russian president has repeated many catchphrases of Kremlin rhetoric, accusing the West "of having imperialist attitudes" and of "wanting to eliminate Russia" in a conflict in which the Ukrainian people are portrayed as hostages by the Kiev regime. All while the fiction of not calling war war but a special military operation continues despite the fierce and intense fighting together with the terrifying number of victims kept hidden from public opinion. But among the many accusations against the West, also for its values, the most significant passage of Putin's speech is on weapons: "The more long-range systems Ukraine receives, the more we will be forced to push the threat far from our borders" . Words that could lead to the use of strategic deterrent weapons by Russia when the integrity of the Federation is threatened.
Putin: 'Russia's very existence is at stake'
“I speak at a very complex and decisive moment, of radical changes that will define the future of our country and people. Each of us bears a huge responsibility to defend our country and liquidate the threat of the neo-Nazi regime”, said the Russian president in Parliament before the two chambers joined together. And he added that Russia wanted a peaceful solution in Ukraine to avoid military intervention, but the West was playing "with stacked cards" to deceive Moscow. "The West engaged in cheating, turned a blind eye to the political assassinations and repressions of the Kiev regime, and encouraged the Nazis to commit terrorist acts." ” The West's goal is to lead Russia to a strategic defeat, they want to eliminate us forever. They don't realize that the very existence of Russia is at stake."
Putin: "They started the war, we used force to stop it"
“I want to repeat it, they started the war and we used force to stop it”. In his narrative to justify the invasion, Putin explains that Ukraine "wanted to acquire nuclear weapons". “In February 2022, everything was ready for another bloody punitive operation in Donbass, we had to intervene to defend the lives of our people”. And Ukraine "was also preparing an attack against Crimea".
And then he accuses NATO of having been deaf to Moscow's requests. “In December 2021, we officially sent the drafts of an agreement on security guarantees to NATO, but we received a direct refusal on all positions. Then it finally became clear that the all-clear for the attack had been given. The threat grew every day."
Then he claims the recapture of Mariupol. “We will revive the industries and ports of the Sea of Azov, which has once again become Russia's internal sea, we will build roads as we did in the Crimea, helping all four annexed Ukrainian regions”. “Now we are together again and we will be even stronger”.
Putin attacks American bases and thanks his people in his speech
“The entire planet is dotted with American bases. The whole world is witnessing how the United States has come out of international treaties, how they have unilaterally interrupted all the agreements that wanted to keep peace on the planet". Putin said during his speech to which he then also addressed his compatriots: “Our people support us. I want to thank them for their courage." Adding that it is about "defending our children from spiritual catastrophe". However he cannot hide the difficulties encountered during the special operation. Putin then asked for a moment of silence in memory of the fallen Russians and announced a special fund for their families.
Putin: "Our atomic arsenal has advanced weapons"
“Russia's nuclear deterrence force is 90 percent equipped with advanced weapons – a level that should be extended to the entire military. We are investing in new technologies that improve the combat readiness of the Army and Navy. These technologies exist, and the pace of their production and application is improving."
With regard to nuclear army, the head of the Kremlin called on the defense ministry and Rosatom to be ready for nuclear weapons tests. “We will never use them first, but if the United States does we have to be ready. No one should be under any illusions: strategic parity must not be broken". And he then announced that Moscow has suspended its participation in the Treaty Start for the dismantling of nuclear warheads. “Start was signed when the Russian Federation and the United States did not consider each other adversaries, but everything is in the past. The nuclear arsenals of Great Britain, France, as well as the American ones, are directed against the Russian Federation, Moscow will take this into account,” Putin said.
Putin: "The Russian economy is out of danger"
Putin's speech then continued by condemning once again the Western sanctions "which don't work", and praising Russia, as "the country is growing" and which "still does business with many areas of the world". But as pointed out by the president himself in 2022, GDP fell, but by 2,1% compared to the much worse forecasts of March 2022. “Thanks to Russia's good balance of payments, we do not need to bow down and beg for money at the abroad". Then he invites Russian companies to bring capital back home and the oligarchs not to invest in luxury homes and boats in the West.
The figures presented by Putin are substantially in line with the forecasts of the main international financial bodies: according to the International Monetary Fund, Moscow's GDP decreased by 2022% in 2,2 while according to the World Bank, which makes the worst forecast, by 3,9%. The president then said that "the share of the ruble in international agreements has doubled, we will continue to work with partners for independence from the dollar." Again: "The authorities have managed to maintain the stability of the economy, preventing the collapse of the financial system."
Putin: "The West wants to turn a local conflict into a world war"
Most of the speech is an attack on the West and like this "intends to transfer a local conflict into a phase of global confrontation". The "anti-Russian" project is part of the revanchist policy of the West. There is only one idea: to ignite a war in Europe through someone else's hands”. According to Putin, the real goal of the great Western powers would be "to instill neoliberal, essentially totalitarian values in the world". The president also claimed that "as a result of US military campaigns, approximately one million people have died and more than 30 million have become displaced." These are facts that "no one in the world will forget", added Putin.
The appeal to "punish the traitors of Russia" in Putin's speech
Those who "betray" Russia will be judged according to the law, but Moscow will not go on a "witch hunt". “Anyone who takes the path of direct betrayal, commits terrorist acts and other crimes against the security of our society, the territorial integrity of the country, will be prosecuted by law,” Putin said. At the same time, the president noted, "we will never become like the Kiev regime and the Western elites", who, according to him, are engaged in "witch hunts".
Putin confirmed the 2024 elections but he made it quite clear that they will be a kind of referendum on the Kremlin's policies. “The elections in September and the presidential elections in 2024 will be held in compliance with the law”.
Putin recalls Covid aid to Italy: "Russia knows how to be a friend"
Then Putin "reproaches" for aid to Italy during the most acute phase of the pandemic. “Russia knows how to be friends and keep its word, it will not disappoint anyone and will always support its partners in difficult situations, as demonstrated by our help to European countries, such as Italy, during the most difficult moment of the Covid pandemic, exactly how we are going to help in the earthquake zones”.
Putin closes his speech: "Russia will respond to any challenge"
"We will do everything to win." He emphasized the Russian president in his state of the nation address, stating that “Russia will respond to any challenge. Because we are all one country. We are a great united people. We are confident in our power. The truth is with us. Thank you". So President Putin closed his speech to the federal assembly after about two hours.
