Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Moscow will not allow the West to use Ukrainian people in order to weaken Russia.
“The West is using the people of Ukraine to split Russia and weaken it; we will never let it happen,” Putin said during his New Year address to the nation on Saturday.
He also stressed that “moral, historical rightness” is on Russia’s side.
The remarks come after the Russian president pointed out last week that Russia is open to a dialogue with all the sides on the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, but that they have so far refused to negotiate.
"The policies of our geopolitical opponents, aimed at splitting up Russia, are at the roots of the Ukrainian conflict,” Putin said.
Referring to Moscow’s ongoing special operation in Ukraine, Putin underscored that Russia is doing the right thing there.
“I think we are acting in the right direction: we are protecting our national interests, the interests of our citizens, our people. And we just have no choice but to protect our citizens,” he said.
This was preceded by Putin emphasizing earlier this month that “the only real guarantor of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in its current borders could be Russia.”
16 September 2022, 14:32 GMT
The military operation Russia launched in Ukraine in February took place only because Moscow was left with no other option to resolve the crisis in Donbass, he added, noting how the ensuing situation was used to fan anti-Russian sentiment throughout the world.
Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, in order to defend the people of the Donbass republics, who had been suffering from Ukrainian attacks. Shortly afterwards, the Western countries started rolling out sanction packages against Russia and providing Kiev with military and financial aid. Moscow criticized the flow of weapons into Ukraine from Western nations, warning that it only aggravates the conflict.