Vladimir Putin has said that if Russia feels threatened by NATO, he will consider a military response, which shows that he is not ready to ease tensions that may invade Ukraine.
In a combative speech on Tuesday, Putin, who asked NATO to provide “security guarantees,” told his senior military commanders that the West should be held responsible for the increasingly tense situation.It is in Rallying in Russia Tanks and artillery may constitute an invading force within a few weeks.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian president has been criticizing the expansion of NATO and accusing the West of turning Ukraine to Russia.After the 2014 revolution established a pro-Western government, Moscow Annexation of Crimea It also triggered conflicts in eastern Ukraine, killing more than 14,000 people. It is angry at the growing military cooperation between Ukraine and NATO countries.
He said in a televised speech: “If our Western counterparts continue to take an obvious line of aggression, we will take commensurate military-technical countermeasures and respond resolutely to unfriendly steps.” “What I want to emphasize is that we Have every right to do this.”
Putin did not specifically mention the possibility of offensive operations in Ukraine. Russian diplomats have previously hinted that Russia’s response may use other measures, such as moving medium-range missiles within reach of European targets.Moscow claims that this will be a punishment for the United States Unilateral withdrawal From the 2018 missile treaty.
But part of Putin’s speech on Tuesday seems to be to give Russia a reason to launch new military operations in Russia. Ukraine, It will be ready as soon as next month.
“What the U.S. did in Ukraine is on our doorstep,” he said of U.S. support for Kiev. “They should understand that we have nowhere to go. Under their protection, they armed and urged extremists from neighboring countries Russia. Take Crimea as an example. Do they think we can just stand by and watch? “
Putin did not provide any concrete evidence for his claims. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu claimed that an unnamed US private military company had acquired chemical weapons and planned to launch a “provocation” in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Avdeevka and Krasny Liman. The Russian military had previously made similar statements in Syria, although the predicted attacks often did not occur.
In his speech, Putin repeatedly asked the West to provide legal guarantees to ensure Russia’s security, but said that he has difficulty believing that the United States will abide by the treaty.
“We need long-term guarantees that are legally binding,” Putin told the military commander. “You and I know that even if it is a legal guarantee, it cannot be trusted, because the United States easily withdrew from all international agreements in which it lost interest for some reason…without giving any explanation.”
Russia proposed a highly controversial Safety assurance checklist It expressed the hope that the West would agree to reduce tensions in Europe and defuse the crisis. Ukraine, Including many elements that have been excluded.
Requirements include a ban on entry to Ukraine Then And restricting the deployment of troops and weapons to the east wing of NATO actually allows NATO troops to return to their location before their eastward expansion in 1997.
