Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged that Russia is facing challenges in its war against Ukraine, but insisted that the country will ensure its long-term security and protect its borders.
Speaking at the ruling United Russia party congress in Moscow, Putin said the Russian leadership is fully aware of the difficulties.
“Yes, we see the problems. We are aware of them, we are responding to them, but in any case we will ensure the security of our country, our citizens, and the inviolability of our borders in the long term,” Putin said.
Despite military setbacks in parts of the front and ongoing economic difficulties, the Russian president argued that the West had failed to achieve its objectives.
“The West has failed to defeat Russia on the battlefield, so it is now trying to destabilize the political situation inside the country. But it will not succeed in that either,” he said.
Putin also claimed that Ukrainian forces were retreating “in all directions,” although those claims have not been independently verified.
At the same time, he accused Ukraine of using “terrorist methods” and claimed that Western countries are using Ukraine as “a tool in the war against Russia.”
The Russian president further stated that his country is under “unprecedented pressure” from Western nations, accusing them of ignoring Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory while simultaneously imposing new sanctions on Moscow, which he described as illegal.
