Russian President Vladimir Putin during his annual state of the nation address accused Western countries of being the one that started the war in Ukraine.
Speaking in Moscow on Tuesday, the president reiterated that Western allies started the war, resulting in Russia needing to stop it with force despite the Kremlin trying every possible way in order to resolve it peacefully.
Putin’s speech could refer to the provocation from the West as he repeatedly and publicly denounce the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) of breaking the promise they made not to expand NATO as the Soviet Union collapsed.
The speech came one day after the United States President Joe Biden secretly paid Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy a visit in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, is also due to visit Moscow on Tuesday with a possibility to meet with Putin.
