On this pool {photograph} distributed by Russian state company Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin addresses the viewers in the course of the Future Applied sciences Discussion board on the World Commerce Heart in Moscow on February 14, 2024.
Alexander Kazakov | AFP | Getty Pictures
Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned Russia is united because it faces the threats of “worldwide terrorism” and challenges to its sovereignty posed by the “colonial West” that, he mentioned, was attempting to “convey discord to our dwelling.”
“We will overcome all the pieces collectively,” Putin mentioned as he launched his tackle, in accordance with a BBC feed. He praised Russian residents, companies and troops in Ukraine for his or her efforts in “defending the Motherland.”
The Russian chief led a minute’s silence to honor Russia’s armed forces, then extolled the “colossal” battlefield expertise they gained in the course of the two years of preventing in Ukraine.
Putin mentioned Russian forces had been on the offensive and had been “liberating” new territories in Ukraine, as soon as once more repeating unsubstantiated claims that Russia is looking for to overthrow a “Nazi” regime within the nation. He added that the West had provoked the battle in Ukraine, and the Center East.
The speech is being delivered to round 1,000 lawmakers and officers, religion leaders, diplomats and journalists. As was the case final yr, contributors in Russia’s “particular navy operation” (code for battle) in Ukraine have additionally been invited to the occasion — Putin’s nineteenth tackle of its form.
The subjects of the tackle usually are not often revealed forward of the speech, however Putin mentioned final week that the upcoming message takes under consideration “the interior political calendar” and can set Russia’s objectives for the subsequent six years. His speech comes lower than a month earlier than the presidential election on March 15-17 that Putin is predicted to win given the shortage of non-systemic opposition figures in Russia.
There’s hypothesis that Putin may use his State of the Nation tackle on Thursday to make some announcement about Transnistria, doubtlessly even bolstering Russia’s small navy presence within the separatist area.
