Vladimir Putin believes he has "firmly" defended Russia's interests in 2021

Vladimir Putin said Friday, December 31 that he had "

"

defended

Russia's interests in 2021, a year marked by renewed tensions with the United States, during his New Year's greetings to his fellow citizens.

Read alsoIn Cuba, Putin's Russia disappoints those nostalgic for the USSR

"

" Putin said in his traditional televised address broadcast every December 31 at midnight in Russia. The country spans 11 time zones, and the easternmost provinces have already celebrated the start of the new year, long before the Moscow region.

Putin's remarks come the day after a high-stakes telephone interview with his American counterpart Joe Biden, in a context of heightened tensions around Ukraine.

Kiev and the Western countries accuse Russia of having massed troops on the borders of Ukraine in anticipation of a possible invasion, which Moscow denies.

In their meeting on Thursday, Biden threatened Putin with massive sanctions in the event of an attack, which would be a "

," the Kremlin replied.

"

Improve the well-being and quality of life of the population

"

The Russian president, who has been in power since 1999, also addressed the health crisis linked to Covid-19, Russia being one of the hardest hit countries in the world, against a background in particular of sluggish vaccination.

"

" he lamented, adding that

his government's "

" for the next year was to "

”.

See alsoPutin "convinced" that an "effective dialogue" with the United States is possible

Russia's national statistics agency (Rosstat) on Thursday reported more than 87,000 Covid-related deaths in November alone, a record in this country.

According to Rosstat, more than 600,000 people have died from Covid in Russia to date, nearly double the government's official toll.