Putin Accuses NATO And The West Of Preparing For War Against Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West, led by NATO, of openly preparing to wage war against Russia, speaking at a meeting with graduates of Russia’s higher military educational institutions at the Kremlin.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the West, led by NATO, is actively preparing to wage war against Russia, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will miss a conference in Poland on rebuilding his country due to a diplomatic dispute”

Al-Jazeera Net

Putin said that Western alliance countries had previously limited themselves to supporting Ukraine, but that Western rhetoric now includes explicit indications of readiness for a military confrontation with Moscow alongside a tangible increase in defense spending.

Al-Jazeera Net

He argued that NATO and EU leaders rely on false claims about an alleged Russian military threat to justify rising military and offensive budgets, and he said Russia is ready to respond swiftly and appropriately to any external or internal threats.

Putin also warned that Moscow was ready to "respond quickly and appropriately" to any threat, while describing intensification of Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside Russian territory as aimed at destabilizing Russian society and creating "a sense of uncertainty" about Russian armed forces.

In his remarks, Putin complained that Western countries are openly talking about preparing for war in case of possible aggression from Moscow, and he said NATO and EU leaders use false claims about an alleged Russian military threat to justify "radical militarization" of their states.

The Russian president described what he called a cycle in which the West first allegedly creates threats for Russia and then "forces" it to take measures, after which Russians are "accused of all mortal sins."

Apa.az

RBC-Ukraine reported Putin made the point during a speech to graduates of Russia’s higher military educational institutions and also referenced Joseph Stalin, saying the West tried to accuse the USSR and Stalin of aggression after the "treacherous attack" on June 22, 1941.

Al Jazeera Net added that official data cited in its report show that about 40 percent of the Russian budget is allocated to defense, security, and armaments, while Putin stressed that his country supports a multipolar international order that guarantees security for all nations.

Alongside Putin’s warnings about Western preparation for war, Al Jazeera Net reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will miss a conference in Poland on rebuilding his country due to a diplomatic dispute.

“In one of the most resounding interventions of recent months, the Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed that the Western countries are no longer hiding their intentions and are openly preparing for a potential conflict with Russia, using as a justification what he characterized as a nonexistent Russian threat”

bankingnews.gr

The report said the dispute followed controversy over a designation Zelenskiy gave last month to one of the military units, describing it as the Ukrainian rebel army heroes, and it said Polish President Karol Navrotsky responded by withdrawing the White Eagle, the highest Polish honor, from Zelenskiy.

Al Jazeera Net further reported that Zelenskiy returned the decoration and that former Ukrainian presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Petro Poroshenko announced the return of their decorations in solidarity, while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for de-escalation of the dispute.

In the same account, the European Union warned that the rift between Warsaw and Kyiv serves the Kremlin, with EU spokeswoman Paula Pino saying there is only one beneficiary of such a situation, the aggressor in Ukraine, and that the matter will be resolved through confidence in talks between Poland and Ukraine.