Russian President Vladimir Putin. Figure: Russian President’s official website (file photo)
Russia has been scolded by the international community for its aggression against Ukraine. Western countries have supported Ukraine to resist the Russian invasion, vowing to defeat Russia in Ukraine. In this regard, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on the 7th that Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has just begun. In response to Western countries’ threats to defeat Russia on the battlefield, Putin retorted “let them try”.
“Today we heard that they wanted to beat us on the battlefield, well, what can we say? Let them try,” Putin said in a speech to MPs, according to Agence France-Presse. One of the toughest speeches Putin has delivered since his troops in Ukraine on the 24th. He also strongly opposes “totalitarian liberalism”, pointing out that the West intends to impose it on the world.
Putin also accused the “collective West” of “waging war” in Ukraine, stressing that Russia’s intervention in Ukraine marked the beginning of a transition to a “multipolar world”, adding: “This process cannot be stopped.” He told Ukrainian authorities and Its Western allies have made harsh threats, saying Moscow has not even started a special military operation in Ukraine “in earnest”.
“Everyone should know that we have not started in earnest,” Putin said. “At the same time, we have not refused to have peace talks, but those who refuse should know that it will be more difficult to reach an agreement with us at a later stage. And saying that most countries do not want to follow the Western model of “totalitarian liberalism” and “hypocritical double standards”, he said: “People in most countries do not want this kind of life and future. They are tired of kneeling, in those Humiliating yourself in front of people who think you are different.”