Russian President Vladimir Putin at a plenary session during the St. Petersburg Economic Forum SPIEF 2022, June 17, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the US and the wider West on Tuesday, claiming America wanted to drag out the war in Ukraine.
“The situation in Ukraine shows that the US is trying to prolong this conflict,” he said during a welcome address at a Moscow conference on international security, Russian state news agency Interfax reported.
Putin also claimed that the US is trying to maintain its hegemonic status in the world and that the West wants to expand its “bloc system” of defense, like the NATO military alliance, to Asia.
“We also see that the collective West is trying to expand its bloc system to the Asia-Pacific region, similar to NATO in Europe. For this purpose, warlike military-political alliances are being formed, such as AUKUS and others,” Putin said, referring to the trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed last year.
In addition, he said US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan, which angered Russia’s ally China, was a “thoroughly planned provocation”, saying such a “reckless” trip was “part of a purposeful, deliberate strategy by the United States to destabilize and destabilize the situation in the region and the world” and “brazen demonstration of disrespect for the sovereignty of other countries and their international obligations”.
Putin once again defended Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, claiming that it was being carried out “to ensure the security of Russia and our citizens.”
Russia claims its attack on Ukraine, which it calls a “special military operation”, is aimed at “liberating” the pro-Russian breakaway regions of Donbass in eastern Ukraine, which it has supported since 2014.
Russia’s latest full-scale invasion of Ukraine has caused widespread destruction, death and displacement among the country’s civilian population. The United Nations said on Monday that at least 5,500 civilians had been killed in the fighting, although the true number is likely to be far higher, given the chaotic nature of recording such data in wartime.
The Russian invasion also drew international condemnation and a series of broad economic sanctions against key sectors of the country, companies and individuals linked to the Kremlin.
The Russian leader’s obsession with Ukraine is long-standing and he has repeatedly praised the unity of Russians and Ukrainians, while at the same time deploring the country’s pro-Western government under President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Political analysts told CNBC that Putin’s claims to the Ukrainian government are nonsense, reflecting an irrational and ill-judged attitude towards the leadership in Kiev and its direction. Western officials and close followers of Russia also see Putin’s comments and his version (and often revisionist view) of history as an attempt to create false and misleading narratives.
The US and its European NATO allies have sought to help Ukraine defend its territorial sovereignty with aid in the form of weapons, financial and humanitarian aid, saying that Russia must not be allowed to succeed in its territorial grab from Ukraine.
However, Russia said Western aid to Ukraine was the culmination of long-standing anti-Russian sentiment and blamed NATO for starting the war.
Europe’s security system
Before the war in Ukraine began in late 2021, Russia massed more than 100,000 troops on the border with its smaller neighbor, all the while insisting it was not planning an invasion. On the same subject : More grain ships leave Ukraine in deal to tackle food crisis.
Russia sought assurances from NATO in December 2021 that Ukraine would not be allowed to join the military alliance in the future (although it has no concrete plans to do so) and demanded that NATO reduce its military presence in Eastern Europe. It also sought assurances that the military alliance would not expand further towards Russia’s border, again despite there being no prospect of expansion at the time.
NATO officials said there was room for negotiation but rejected Russia’s main demands and on February 24 Russia launched a full-scale invasion, seen as capable of a quick victory in Ukraine and ousting its pro-Western government.
Almost six months on and the war shows no sign of ending anytime soon, with Ukrainian forces bolstered by heavy weapons from the West – particularly US-donated HIMARS, or high-mobility missile systems, making a tangible difference in the direction of the war.
The invasion had other dramatic, unintended consequences for Moscow, as NATO became more united than ever. European defense-spending laggards such as Germany have also pledged to increase such purchases in direct response to Russian aggression.
Moreover, traditionally non-aligned countries Sweden and Finland have now applied to join NATO, roughly doubling the land border that Russia shares with NATO countries. Unsurprisingly, Moscow has condemned the expansion and threatened to retaliate without overtly stating what form it might take.
Despite the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has blamed the West for changing Europe’s security architecture, and Putin said in a speech on Tuesday that “the so-called collective West is deliberately destroying the European security system, making new military alliances.”
“The NATO bloc is moving eastward, building up its military infrastructure, including deploying missile defense systems and increasing offensive force attack capabilities,” he said.
In words, it is hypocritically declared the need to strengthen security in Europe, but in reality the exact opposite is happening, he said. “The proposals that Russia put forward in December last year on mutual security measures were simply ignored once again,” he added.
Timothy Ash, senior sovereign emerging markets strategist at BlueBay Asset Management, rejected Putin’s comments in emailed comments on Tuesday, saying there were more instances of Russia seeking to destabilize the European security system than sponsoring unrest in former Soviet republics as as Georgia and Moldova until their intervention in the Syrian civil war and the use of biological weapons against critics of the Kremlin.
“Russia intervened in the Syrian civil war with the precise intention of creating a wave of refugees to Europe to destabilize the continent. Putin supports far-left and far-right parties in Europe. Russia is now restricting energy supplies to Europe to create energy shortages and social and political unrest. But the West is deliberately undermining European security,” Ash said.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 by the United States of America, Canada and several Western European countries to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. NATO was the first peacetime military alliance the United States entered outside the Western Hemisphere.
How many tanks does Russia have?
In total, Russia is estimated to have more than 2,800 tanks in military units with another 10,000 in storage, according to an April report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
How many tanks did Ukraine destroy? Ukrainian armed forces have already destroyed 1,700 Russian tanks Ukrainska Pravda. To see also : Biden-Harris Administration Announces $550 Million in New US Military Aid to Ukraine – US State Department.
How many tanks does Russia lost?
Hundreds of tanks lost As of July 18, Russia has lost 237 T-72B3 tanks, hundreds more in other T-72 variants and 170 T-80s, according to Oryx Intelligence. See the article : The United States Contributes $4.5 Billion to Support the Government of Ukraine. That means around 800 Russian tanks were destroyed – most of them Soviet-era tanks that Moscow had upgraded over the years.
Is Russia running out of tanks?
Due to significant losses in the fighting in Ukraine, the Russian military now appears to lack the correct armor to replenish its forces. They started the campaign with about 2,800 tanks, and according to intelligence sources they have currently lost between 500-600.
Is Russia overpopulated?
Russia Area and population density Russia is one of the few countries with a negative growth rate, falling from an estimated 146.3 million inhabitants in 2015.
How uninhabited is Russia? It’s a vast, empty landscape that – despite making up 77 percent of Russia’s land area – holds only 27 percent of the population, with an average density of three people per square kilometer (0.4 square miles). the soil consists of permafrost.
Is Russia heavily populated?
It is the most populous country in Europe and the ninth most populous country in the world; with a population density of 9 inhabitants per square kilometer (23 per square mile). Total life expectancy in Russia at birth is 73.2 years (68.2 years for men and 78.0 years for women).
Why does Russia have low population?
An increase in the retirement age, the quality of health care in the region, a decline in living standards and numerous other challenges facing Russians are among the reasons why the country is facing a fourth consecutive year of population decline.
Is population a problem in Russia?
According to the latest United Nations projections, made before the pandemic and the war, by 2040 it could drop to 139 million. In other words, the Russian population is shrinking at breakneck speed, and the war will only intensify that trend.
Is NATO an army?
The alliance relies on the military power of its 30 allied and partner nations to support missions and operations around the world. NATO does not have its own armed forces, but it has a permanent, integrated military command structure, consisting of military and civilian personnel from all member states.
Is NATO a strong army? NATO, which was formed in 1949, is the most powerful military alliance in the world.
What is NATO’s military?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance originally established in 1949 to counterbalance the Soviet armies stationed in Central and Eastern Europe after World War II. When the Cold War ended, NATO was reimagined as a cooperative security organization.
Is NATO military or political?
2.1 Political and military alliance The purpose of NATO is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members by political and military means.
