“Let them try!” Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday challenged Westerners to defeat Russia “on the battlefield” in Ukraine, where, he said, Moscow has “not yet started the serious stuff”.
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“Today we hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield. What to say ? Let them try!” said Mr. Putin during a meeting with the leaders of the groups in the lower house of Parliament, broadcast on television.
“We have heard several times that the West wants to fight us to the last Ukrainian. This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people. But it seems that everything is heading in this direction,” he continued.
These martial declarations come as the United States and European countries have in recent weeks accelerated arms deliveries to the kyiv army, which is trying to curb the advance of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
“Everyone should know that we have not yet started serious things” in Ukraine, launched Mr. Putin during this speech, one of the hardest for weeks.
However, he did not announce an expansion of the military operation or other concrete initiatives.
“At the same time, we are not refusing peace negotiations. But those who refuse them must know that the longer (they will refuse), the more difficult it will be for them to negotiate with us,” added the Russian president.
Using rhetoric reminiscent of that of the Soviet leaders during the Cold War, Mr. Putin also denounced Western “totalitarian liberalism” and considered that the offensive in Ukraine marked the beginning of a transition from a world marked by “egocentrism globalized American towards a truly multipolar world”.
“In most countries, people don’t want such a life or such a future,” he said. “They are tired of getting down on their knees and humiliating themselves in front of those who think they are exceptional”.