The world is entering its “most dangerous” decade since World War II, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday, saying the conflict in Ukraine was an illustration of the struggle against Western domination.
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“We are at a historic moment. We are undoubtedly facing the most dangerous, the most important, the most unpredictable decade” since 1945, declared the Russian leader, in front of the discussion forum of Valdaï in Moscow.
“The West, without a clear unity, is not able to lead the world, but it is trying desperately, and most of the people of the world cannot accept it,” he said, judging therefore the planet in a “revolutionary situation”.
According to him, the assault on Ukraine is part of this “tectonic change of the whole world order”.
“Russia will never put up with the diktat of the aggressive, neocolonial West,” he added, referring to “inevitable” changes in the “world order.”
Shortly before, he had described his confrontation with the West, particularly in the context of the offensive against Ukraine, as a fight for the very survival of Russia.
“Russia is not challenging the West, Russia is just defending its right to exist,” he said again, accusing Americans and other Westerners of wanting to “destroy, erase (Russia) from the map” in a new indictment against its geopolitical rivals who support and arm Ukraine against Russian soldiers.
Appeal to the IAEA
Regarding the Russian accusations that Kyiv is developing a “dirty bomb”, the master of the Kremlin asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to go “as soon as possible” to Ukraine.
“The IAEA wants to come (…). We are for it, as quickly and as widely as possible, because we know that the authorities in kyiv are doing everything to cover the traces of these preparations,” he said.
“We even know where it is done approximately (in Ukraine),” added the Russian leader.
According to him, Kyïv wants to use such a radioactive weapon “so that it can say later that it was Russia that carried out a nuclear strike”, Mr. Putin said again, stressing that he himself had asked his minister to the Defence, Sergei Choigou, to “inform” his Western counterparts.
The latter has indeed met in recent days with the American, Chinese, French, Turkish and British Ministers of Defense, exchanges of unprecedented intensity – over a few hours – since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24.
Ukraine and its Western allies have all since widely condemned Russia’s “obviously false” allegations.
Vladimir Putin also relativized his past remarks about the possibility of using atomic weapons, believing that he had only responded to threats from his adversaries.
“We never talked about the possibility of using nuclear weapons. We only made allusions in response to statements from other countries, ”assured the Russian president.
According to him, Ukraine and the West claim that Moscow is playing nuclear escalation in order to “influence neutral countries to tell them: ‘Look at Russia! Don’t cooperate with her!’
“The only country in the world that has used nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state is the United States,” Putin charged.
Speaking of the economic situation of his country, he judged that “the peak of economic difficulties” was “passed”. According to him, “the Russian economy has adapted (…) What is happening is ultimately beneficial for Russia and its future (…) including in the economic sphere”