Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday suspended Moscow’s participation in a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Washington during a speech in which he accused the West of escalating the conflict in Ukraine.
In his state of the nation address to Russian lawmakers, Putin also vowed that Russia would continue fighting in Ukraine ahead of the first anniversary of the military campaign.
Pointing out that Western powers want to “deal with us once and for all”, he said that Russia was “forced” to suspend the New START treaty but would not withdraw from it.
The 2010 treaty was the last major US-Russia arms control pact still in place but it has broken down in recent years, with accusations from Washington that Moscow is not abiding by it.
Putin spoke a day after US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv where he pledged to send additional weapons to Ukraine, and ahead of Biden’s speech in Warsaw.
Referring to the conflict in Ukraine, Putin said: “step by step, we will carefully and systematically complete the objectives we face”.
He said it was “impossible to beat Russia on the battlefield”.
“The responsibility for pushing the Ukrainian conflict, for its escalation, for the number of victims… rests with the Western elite,” Putin said.
A top US official described as “absurdity” Putin’s accusation that Russia has been threatened by the West as a justification for sending troops to Ukraine.
“No one is attacking Russia. There are various absurdities in the notion that Russia is under some form of military threat from Ukraine or anyone else,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters in Warsaw.
Sanctions ‘won’t work’
Putin also issued a warning to Russia’s critics, saying: “Those who have followed Russia’s path of treason must be held accountable under the law”.
Turning to the economy, Putin said sanctions against Russia had not succeeded and were actually hurting the West by raising energy prices.
“They haven’t been successful and they won’t be,” he said.
“The Russian economy has proven more resilient than the West expected.”
Official Russian data on Monday showed the economy contracted by 2.1 percent last year despite sanctions – lower than expected.
Biden will give his own speech at around 1630 GMT after talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who has been the main advocate for Ukraine in the EU and NATO.
From the historic Royal Castle in Warsaw, Biden will “make it clear that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine … for a long time,” according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, who spoke to reporters last week.
‘Mr Putin’s Message’
He will also speak by phone with the leaders of Britain, France and Italy, the White House said. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is scheduled to be in Washington on March 3.
“You will hear a message in the president’s speech that will certainly resonate with the American people, will certainly resonate with our allies and partners, without question resonate with the Polish people,” Kirby said of the Warsaw address.
“I would suspect that you will hear him sending messages with Mr. Putin as well, as well as the Russians.”
In a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, Biden pledged “unwavering” US support and about $500 million in ammunition and artillery supplies.
The visit comes ahead of the anniversary of February 24 when Putin ordered Russian troops to enter Ukraine.
“One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands,” Biden said at the Mariinsky Palace, the official residence of the Ukrainian president.
When the Kremlin launched its offensive in Ukraine, the so-called “special military operation” was planned as a quick conquest leading to capitulation and the installation of a pro-Russian regime.
“Putin thinks Ukraine is weak and the West is divided,” Biden said Monday. “He thought he could outrun us.”
“He was just wrong,” he added.
‘More than control’
On Tuesday, China said it was “deeply concerned” about the conflict, which it said was “intense and even out of control”.
Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Beijing would “urge concerned countries not to add fuel to the fire as soon as possible, so as not to blame China”, after the US indicated that Beijing might consider sending weapons to Moscow.
China has sought to position itself as a neutral party, while maintaining close ties with its strategic ally Russia.
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, will be in Moscow on Tuesday for talks, the last stop on his European tour.
The Kremlin said Wang could meet Putin during the visit, according to the state-run TASS news agency.
According to the latest estimates from Norway, the conflict has wounded or killed 180,000 Russian soldiers and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
Other Western sources estimate that the conflict resulted in 150,000 casualties on each side.
© Agence France-Presse