Putin to the West: 'It is not us who threaten anyone'

2 years ago 304

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the West connected Thursday to “immediately” conscionable Russia's request for information guarantees precluding NATO's enlargement to Ukraine, saying the U.S. is “on the threshold of our home.”

Speaking during a marathon yearly quality conference, the Russian person welcomed talks with the U.S. that are acceptable to commencement successful Geneva adjacent period arsenic a “positive” move, but warned that Moscow expects the treatment to nutrient speedy results.

“We person intelligibly and precisely fto them cognize that immoderate further NATO enlargement eastward is unacceptable,” Putin said.

Last week, Moscow submitted draught information documents demanding that NATO contradict rank to Ukraine and different erstwhile Soviet countries and rotation backmost the alliance’s subject deployments successful Central and Eastern Europe. A cardinal rule of the confederation is that rank is unfastened to immoderate qualifying country.

“Is it america who are putting missiles adjacent the U.S. borders?" Putin said angrily. "No, it’s the U.S. who came to our location with its missiles, they are already connected the threshold of our home. Is it immoderate excessive request not to spot immoderate onslaught weapons systems adjacent our home?”

Moscow presented its request amid soaring tensions implicit a Russian unit buildup adjacent Ukraine that has stoked fears of a imaginable invasion. U.S. President Joe Biden warned Putin successful a video telephone earlier this period that Russia volition look “severe consequences” if it attacks Ukraine.

Russia has denied plans to motorboat an onslaught but has described a NATO enlargement and weapons deployment successful Ukraine arsenic a “red line.”

Asked Thursday if helium could supply a warrant that Russia volition not invade Ukraine, Putin snapped successful response: “It's you who indispensable springiness america guarantees and springiness them immediately, now, and not person idle speech astir it for decades."

“How would the Americans respond if we enactment our missiles connected the U.S. borders with Canada oregon Mexico?" helium exclaimed.

The U.S. and its allies person said they won’t springiness Russia the benignant of warrant connected Ukraine that Putin wants. American officials are conferring with European allies successful beforehand of the Geneva talks.

The Russian person charged during his quality league that the West had “swindled, blatantly cheated” Moscow by offering verbal pledges successful the 1990s not to grow NATO's beingness eastbound and past enlarging to incorporated erstwhile Soviet bloc countries successful Central and Eastern Europe and the ex-Soviet republics successful the Baltics.

“They said they wouldn’t expand, and past they did expand,” helium said. “They said determination would beryllium adjacent guarantees for all, but determination is nary adjacent security. It seems to maine sometimes that we unrecorded successful antithetic worlds.”

Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic joined NATO successful 1999, followed successful 2004 by Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the erstwhile Soviet republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In consequent years, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia besides joined, bringing NATO’s rank to 30 nations.

“It's not america who endanger anyone," Putin said. "Is it america who came to the U.S. oregon British borders oregon determination else? No, they person travel to us, and present they accidental that Ukraine volition beryllium successful NATO. Or they volition conscionable enactment bases and onslaught weapons determination connected a bilateral basis.”

He accused the West of trying to marque Ukraine “anti-Russia, perpetually beefed up with modern weapons and brainwashing the population.”

Russia can’t support surviving successful anticipation of looming information threats posed by imaginable deployment of Western weapons successful Ukraine, Putin said.

“Should Russia unrecorded perpetually looking backmost astatine what's going connected and what caller limb systems are enactment there?” helium exclaimed. “We request to deliberation astir ensuring our security.”

He argued that Western weapons could promote hawkish forces successful Ukraine to effort to regain power implicit Russia-backed separatist regions by unit and adjacent effort to reclaim Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine successful 2014.

The Russian person claimed that Western expressions of interest astir an alleged Russian penetration could beryllium a prelude to a imaginable effort by Ukraine to motorboat an violative against the rebels successful the eastbound pursuing 2 botched attempts successful the past.

“There is an content that they are preparing a 3rd subject cognition and informing america not to meddle,” helium said.

Ukrainian officials person denied an volition to motorboat an violative against the separatists. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said Thursday that Putin’s assertion astir Kyiv preparing a subject cognition is untrue.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss countered Putin’s comments by insisting that “NATO is simply a antiaircraft confederation and Ukraine continues to amusement commendable restraint successful the look of Russian provocation and aggression.”

“Russia’s subject build-ups connected the borderline of Ukraine and successful illegally-annexed Crimea are unacceptable," Truss said. “Any Russian incursion would beryllium a monolithic strategical mistake and would beryllium met with strength, including coordinated sanctions with our allies to enforce a terrible outgo connected Russia’s interests and economy.”

Shortly aft annexing the Crimea, Moscow formed its enactment down a separatist rebellion successful Ukraine’s east. The warring implicit much than 7 years has killed much than 14,000 radical and devastated Ukraine’s concern heartland, known arsenic the Donbas.

Putin's quality league lasted astir 4 hours and besides covered a scope of home issues. He dismissed disapproval of Russia designating scores of captious media and activists arsenic “foreign agents,” a pejorative statement that entails further authorities scrutiny and is intended to undermine the credibility of designees.

Asked astir his apical governmental foe, imprisoned absorption person Alexei Navalny, Putin again rejected allegations that Russian authorities were down Navalny's poisoning with a nervus cause past year.

He pledged that situation officials progressive successful torturing inmates astatine Russia's penitentiaries would beryllium brought to justness but said that different countries look akin problems.

Putin, who is acceptable to be the Winter Olympics successful China aboriginal adjacent year, besides criticized the U.S. governmental boycott of the Beijing Games, describing it arsenic a mistake and portion of efforts by Washington to incorporate China's increasing might.

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Jill Lawless successful London and Yuras Karmanau successful Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

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