Vladimir Putin Russia-Ukraine war

Vladimir Putin, Russia-Ukraine crisis: Russia invaded Ukraine February 24 citing national security concerns over Kyiv's closeness to Western powers and move ...

Shanghai is now the largest city to be locked down to date since early 2020. In its place there should be an interim government," Wimal Weerawansa, a former cabinet member, said Tuesday. The parliament met today for the first time since these protests began. A group of Sri Lanka lawmakers have backed the formation of an interim government to steer the nation out of its worst economic crisis in decades. Addressing the United Nation's Security Council for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine last month, Zelenskyy added that Russian forces killed “anyone who served our country”. He also demanded “accountability” at the UNSC for Russian crimes. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered an ominous warning Sunday, telling Ukraine the 'military operation' that has killed hundreds (potentially thousands) already would only stop if Kyiv laid down arms and met all of the Kremlin's demands. and carries out well-known Russian demands," the Kremlin said.

Vladimir Putin will have you know that he did not want this war; that it was imposed on him. He did the impossible to avoid invading his beloved Ukraine, ...

Now that Putin has finally gotten the world’s attention, he needs to stop making threats and start making sense. But propaganda aside, he simply wanted to keep Russia in and the United States out of Ukraine. Putin may have also underestimated Ukrainians’ passion for independence and willingness to resist Russian hegemony. The West’s deployment of its formidable corporate arsenal against all spheres of Russian life is truly mind-blowing, whether in banking, technology, manufacturing, communication, transport or even entertainment. Putin believes Russia was born to be a great power; considering it was an empire before even becoming a nation. But without Ukraine, the “birthplace of the Russian nation”, Russia’s honour could never be restored. The Russian economy is smaller than even a medium Western economy like Italy. For much of the 1990s, Moscow engaged Washington to manage emerging challenges, coordinated democratic reforms, and even considered joining the European Union and NATO. But neither seemed welcoming or even remotely interested. Not after a 300-year partnership, not after all that Moscow had done for Ukraine, endowing it with territory, money and prestige. Uncharacteristically for a former KGB operative, Putin’s ominous speech on the eve of the Ukraine invasion was especially emotional, bitter and angry. Rather, like countless Russians, he was lamenting Russian disbursement and decline. He did the impossible to avoid invading his beloved Ukraine, but there are things that even a superpower, a super-duper patient leader cannot endure.

Donald Trump has spoken out about the war in Ukraine, pushing the West to do more.

"He used the word independent. "By the way, this would never have happened with us, had I been in office. Oh, that's wonderful," Trump said at the time. We are choking off Russia's access to technology, which will sap its economic strength and weaken its military for years to come." That's the strongest peace force – we could use that at our southern border. That's the strongest peace force I've ever seen. No, but think of it, here's a guy who is very savvy. The former president's rhetoric on Ukraine has shifted somewhat since the invasion started. We can't let it continue to happen.'" "We say China did it. And so on. We can't let it happen.