“I appeal to the nation to be ready for a sudden strike on our country. Strategic American documents state that such strikes can be expected. NATO documents say Russia is a major threat to the Euro-Atlantic alliance. ” This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in an extraordinary address to the Russians.
“We do not want to believe this, but the facts are as follows. I want them to be clear about Ukraine and Russia. NATO tactical aviation can hit our borders to Kazakhstan, and NATO technology will allow them to control our airspace to the Urals. Ballistic missiles can hit up to 5,000 kilometers. Cruise missiles can hit Moscow in five minutes, and other missiles can last as long as 4. It’s like stabbing you in the throat, he added, quoted by BGNES.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQN0w4hS7_Q
“Dear friends, the topic of my speech is the events in Ukraine. This is important for us and for Russia. I am addressing the Russians in Ukraine,” Putin said at the beginning of his address.
“The issue is very serious. The situation in Donbass has become critical. I do not want to give assessments, but to say the next steps,” he added.
“Ukraine is not our neighboring country, but an integral part of our history, there are our relatives and friends. To explain Russia’s actions and the goals we set, I must say a few important words: Modern Ukraine was created entirely by Russia “Stalin annexed the USSR and gave it some lands that had previously belonged to Romania and Poland. In 1954, Khrushchev also gave her additional lands. This formed the territory of modern Ukraine,” he said.
Sharp escalation of tensions around Ukraine (OVERVIEW)
“Various nationalist movements in Ukraine attribute to themselves the ‘conquest of independence.’ “The collapse of historic Russia, united in the USSR, weighs on their conscience,” Putin said.
“Our people recognized the geopolitical reality that occurred after the collapse of the USSR. Russia has always helped Ukraine since independence. According to expert estimates, the volume of annual loans that Russia gave to Ukraine from 1991 to 2013 amounted to $ 250 billion. “Russia has given $ 100 billion on other lines to Ukraine since 1991,” he said.
The Russian president stressed that Russia is also helping all former Soviet republics.
The newly independent states had to give up their demands for membership in various organizations abroad, the president said, adding: “Nevertheless, Russia has always cooperated with Ukraine and respected its interests.”
“Thus, in 2011, our bilateral ties amounted to $ 50 billion – much more than its trade with the EU before the pandemic. Instead of a partnership, Ukraine began to be unceremonious. Kiev has even tried to use dialogue with Russia as blackmail against the West. With this, the Ukrainian authorities began to accumulate positives for themselves with an absolute denial of everything Russian. “Nationalism has grown, and Ukrainians have forgotten how much Russia has helped them,” he continued.
Putin told Scholz and Macron that he would recognize the independence of the DPR and LPR
According to Putin, as early as 1991, Ukraine began to pursue foreign political interests, which began to become the interests of those in power, but not of the common people. “The interest was in providing services to Russia’s geopolitical enemies, instead of making people’s lives better. The struggle against various oligarchic clans began, corruption became special – it eroded the Ukrainian government. It was she who led the coup in 2014, “Putin added.
“It has become clear that the United States has transferred more than $ 1 million a day into bank accounts to protesters. The Maidan did not bring democracy back to Ukraine, on the contrary, it brought the situation there to a standstill. Ukraine is in acute crisis – in 2019 almost 6 million Ukrainians – about 15% of the total population, were forced to seek bread outside the country. In 2020, in the conditions of the pandemic, more than 6,000 doctors left the country to work abroad, “Putin added.
Putin: Russia recognizes the independence of DNR and LNR
According to him, the operation of Ukraine’s gas transmission system, which was created entirely by Russia, “is already in a tragic state.” “A certain team of Western advisers is giving the Ukrainian government a reason to govern. The US Embassy in Ukraine controls the fight against corruption – not bad, but where are the results? Do Ukrainians understand that they have not been independent for a long time? Has privatization long since lost its national character and become personal? ”Putin asked.
The course of forced assimilation continues, there is already a law for “criminal” peoples; the Russian language is already being removed from advertising; free speech is persecuted; Ukraine already has its “Western curators”, Western MPs, even encroached on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. And these are not just fairy tales, but there are concrete documents: the church has become a cynical executor of government decisions – this is against the spirit of unity and everything else. The people of Crimea have made their choice – they want to be with Russia, Putin added.
“Everyone is talking about war today, and the whole world is defending Ukraine. Today she talked about nuclear weapons, but forgot that all her equipment came from Russia. Therefore, if she decides to make such a weapon today, it will be easy for her, especially when it is maintained by foreign countries. There is a lot of talk today about weapons of mass destruction – especially when Western collaborators say they will help Ukraine do so. “As an endless stream of foreign countries, they are arming Ukraine as a demonstration of great power,” the Russian president continued.
“Foreign troops are constantly present in the country. The command of the Ukrainian military forces is exercised by NATO. The United States took the territory of Russia as a stage for a military theater. A law has already been passed to participate in multinational exercises – it is clear that it is about NATO troops, and many exercises are planned in the coming years. It is clear to everyone that this is only a pretext for the increase of the military in the country, and its airspace is open to foreign planes and drones, which monitor the state of Russia. The situation on the Black Sea coast is the same, “Putin added.
According to him, according to the Constitution of Ukraine, no foreign troops can be deployed. “This is clearly something that can be ignored. “Yes, every country has the right to choose its membership in alliances, but according to international documents, it is written that it has no right to strengthen its system to the detriment of other countries,” Putin said.
Ukraine’s accession to NATO is a direct threat to Russia, the Russian president stressed, adding that Ukraine must comply with the will of its older partner. “Even today, the world is skeptical of Ukraine’s request to join NATO. Even today we hear from European capitals that Ukraine will “pass”. NATO is a defense alliance, but the reality of such words is quite different. Western countries expected NATO membership to protect them, but it turned out the opposite: they wanted to increase “The potential of our defense force, but it was directed against Russia. We have consistently offered various forms of cooperation, for example in the NATO-Russia format,” Vladimir Putin explained.
“In 2000, during Bill Clinton’s visit, I asked him how the United States felt about Russia’s accession to NATO. Clinton was very restrained, I do not want to go into details,” he added.
“Now I want to ask: why, why is all this? Okay, you don’t want us to be your ally, but why are you making us an enemy? The answer is one: because the United States wants it! This is the answer to all our attempts at dialogue. In 1999 Poland, the Czech Republic, in 2004 – Bulgaria; and now large-scale anti-missile weapons are being launched in Romania and Poland – these are serious offensive weapons. At the same time, the United States is developing a unique missile for ground and sea destruction. “Our information says that Ukraine’s membership in NATO and the deployment of troops there – the question is clear,” he said.
EVERYTHING ABOUT THE ESCALIZATION OF TENSION BETWEEN NATO AND RUSSIA READ HERE
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