The Russian president said in a speech to the nation that Western countries were trying to drag Russia into an arms race
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, warned this Thursday (February 29, 2024) of the risk of a nuclear conflict with the West if NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) sends troops to Ukraine.
“[O Ocidente] You must understand that we also have weapons that can hit targets on your territory. All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. “Don’t you understand?” he asked.
The Russian leader's statements were made during his annual address to the Russian Federal Assembly and the nation. The event took place in Moscow.
During his speech, Putin explained that the West was trying to “drag” Moscow into an arms race and that the country therefore needed to develop a defense industrial complex to increase “its scientific, technological and industrial potential.”
“It is urgent to strengthen the groups [das Forças Armadas russas] in the western strategic direction to neutralize threats related to the upcoming NATO expansion,” he said, referring to the entry of Finland and Sweden into the military alliance.
Putin also said that Western countries were provoking conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and other regions of the world. He also stated that the West continues to “lie” when it says Russia intends to attack Europe. “They’re just talking nonsense,” he explained.
The Russian president also spoke about the country's internal problems. He said Russia needs to achieve “sustainable” birth rate growth over the next six years and set clear targets to reduce poverty by 2030.
Putin also called for reform of the country's tax system and suggested imposing higher taxes on richer people and companies. “I propose to consider approaches to modernize our tax system in order to achieve a fairer distribution of the tax burden for those with higher personal and corporate income,” he explained.
This year's address to the nation is more significant as it was delivered two weeks before Russia's presidential elections, scheduled for March 1517.
Putin is running for his fifth term in office. He has been in power for more than 20 years. After Boris Yeltsin's resignation, he took over the Russian government as interim president in 1999 and was elected to this office for the first time in 2000. He won further races in 2004, 2012 and 2018.
Three more candidates are expected to run for the Kremlin this year. However, the election has been criticized by international observers for a lack of transparency and restrictions on opposition candidates, such as the veto on candidacy registration.