Putin claims 'moral, historical rightness' on Russia's side amid escalating war with Ukraine
Putin says 'moral, historical rightness' on Russia's side amid Ukraine war.
In his New Year's address, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said that "moral, historical rightness" is on the side of Russia amid international condemnation pouring against his government for escalating the Ukraine war."Today we are fighting for this, protecting our people in our own historical territories, in the new constituent entities of the Russian Federation," Putin said in his address telecaston Russian state TV while speaking about the regions of Ukraine that Russia claims to have captured.
He added that his country would never capitulate to the attempts made by the West of using Ukraine as a medium for destroying Russia. He called the war with Ukraine a fight for protecting its "motherland" and winning its people's "true independence".
ALSO READ|Russia-Ukraine war: At least one dead as multiple blasts rock Kyiv
In the nine-minute address, Putin said that the West has been lying and provoking Moscow for initiating a "special military operation" in Ukraine.
"For years, Western elites hypocritically assured us of their peaceful intentions," he stated in his speech recorded in front of Russian service personnel at Russia's southern military district's headquarters.
"In fact, in every possible way they were encouraging neo-Nazis who conducted open terrorism against civilians in the Donbas," said Putin.
"The West lied about peace. It was preparing for aggression ... and now they are cynically using Ukraine and its people to weaken and split Russia,” he added.
WATCH |Russia-China Ties: Russia's Putin invites China's Xi Jinping for a state visit?
"We have never allowed this, and will never allow anybody to do this to us," Putin said.
The claims made by Moscow over the conflict's start have been rejected by Kyiv and the West, who claim that a baseless war has been initiated by Putin to seize Ukraine's territory and remove Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelensky.
(With inputs from agencies)