Russian President Vladimir Putin railed against the West in his long-delayed state-of-the-nation address on Tuesday, a speech expected to shed light on how the Kremlin sees its so-called special military operation in Ukraine and set the tone for the year ahead.
Putin has frequently justified his action in Ukraine by accusing Western countries of threatening Russia.
They say nothing could be further from the truth and that Moscow's forces attacked Ukraine unprovoked.“It’s they who have started the war.
We have used and are using force to stop it,” Putin said before an audience of lawmakers, state officials and soldiers who have fought in Ukraine."
While the Constitution mandates that the president deliver the speech annually, Putin never gave one in 2022, as his troops rolled into Ukraine and suffered repeated setbacks.
