They started the war, we used force to stop it, says Putin during address in Moscow

They started the war, and we use force in order to stop it, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed during his annual state of the nation address in Moscow on Tuesday.

Putin claims that while Russia initially tried to resolve the situation in the Donbas region through peaceful methods, it was ultimately compelled to use force.

“We did everything possible in order to resolve this problem in a peaceful way. We were patient in our negotiations to come out of this terrible conflict. However behind our backs a completely different scenario was being prepared,” he said.

Prior to Russia launching its invasion in February 2022, “everything was prepared” by Ukraine’s government for a punitive action in the Donbas, which lies in eastern Ukraine.

“Ukraine and Donbas have become a symbol of total lies,” Putin added. He also accused the West of withdrawing from “fundamental agreements” and expanding NATO eastwards to cover Russia “with an umbrella”.

Putin railed against the West, accusing it of seeing “unlimited power” in world affairs saying that, “The west uses Ukraine as a ram agaist Russia,”

“The Western elite does not conceal their goal, which is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. It means to finish us forever and grow a local conflict into global opposition. That’s the way we understand it and accordingly, we will respond to that,” he added.

“One circumstance must be understood by everyone … The more long-range weapons arrive in Ukraine from the West, the more we will have to push the threat from our borders, that’s natural,” he said.

Russia’s president has pledged to “systematically” press on with Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin told Russia’s political and military elite that Russia would “carefully and consistently resolve the tasks facing us”.

Putin announced a state fund to support veterans and the families of fallen soldiers that would provide “social, medical and psychological support” to the soldiers and their families. He said that the funds would contribute towards education, entrepreneurship, career development and home care.