President says Moscow’s strategic forces stay on the highest stage of readiness as he meets prime defence officers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has mentioned that Moscow is upgrading its nuclear arsenal and retaining its strategic forces on the highest stage of readiness because the West wages a “hybrid war” in opposition to it.
Moscow would proceed what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine, and all makes an attempt to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia had crumbled, Putin instructed a convention of senior defence officers on Tuesday.
The Russian chief additionally accused the United States of exploiting Europe for its personal pursuits and mentioned his nation deliberate no warfare on Europe.
Russia could be ready to speak to Ukraine, the US and Europe about the way forward for Ukraine in the event that they needed to, however Moscow would defend its nationwide pursuits, Putin mentioned.
“In Ukraine, those who are aggressive towards Russia, and in Europe and in the United States – do they want to negotiate? Let them. But we will do it based on our national interests,” he mentioned. “We will not give up what is ours.”
Russia would proceed from its personal pursuits when coping with Ukraine, no matter Kyiv’s makes an attempt to make any agreements, mentioned Putin, who final week introduced that his nation’s targets in Ukraine stay unchanged and there will likely be no peace till they’re achieved.
Ukraine’s membership of the NATO army alliance “is not acceptable for Russia in 10 years, and not in 20”, he mentioned.
The president mentioned Russia’s defence business has reacted to the battle in Ukraine sooner than that of the West.
‘Boosted tank production’
Meanwhile, Minister of Defence Sergey Shoigu instructed the identical assembly that Russia had elevated tank manufacturing by 5.6 instances because the begin of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine final yr, and had laid 7,000sq km (2,700sq miles) of minefields alongside the two,000km (1,250-mile) entrance line.
Moscow has demanded “denazification, demilitarisation and a neutral status” of Ukraine – which Putin has repeated since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia has alleged that Ukraine’s authorities is closely influenced by “radical nationalist” and neo-Nazi teams, which Kyiv and the West dispute.
The Russian authorities has additionally persistently demanded that Ukraine stay impartial and never be part of NATO.
Putin introduced that he’ll run within the March 2024 presidential election, through which the 71-year-old chief is sort of sure to win a fifth time period. He has been in energy for twenty-four years, together with his prime ministerial stint, and a victory subsequent yr will see him stay president till 2030.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/19/russia-boosts-nuclear-forces-amid-hybrid-war-with-the-west-putin?traffic_source=rss
