Vladimir Putin comments on two allegations on Russia's state TV.
The answers are quite remarkable.
Moscow – Vladimir Putin indirectly admitted to difficulties in the Ukraine war on Russian state TV.
At the same time, he expressed himself in a rather contradictory way on the question of why the so-called "military special operation" in Russia had not started earlier: Putin emphasized that his country did not have any hypersonic weapons in 2014 - and at the same time once again accused the West of the elapsed eight years to have used to arm Ukraine.
Putin admits pent-up demand in Russia's military - "Have a lot to do"
"Indeed, we have a lot to do - for example, for the development of the ground forces," Putin said in an interview for the program "Moscow.
Kremlin.
Putin.” to a question about lessons learned from the course of the war so far.
The Tass state agency also reported on the conversation.
After the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia was not yet prepared for a major war against Ukraine, Putin hinted.
"We didn't have hypersonic weapons then, but we have them now," he told state television.
Russia's president seemed to hint at a threat: "We don't use them in practice, but we have them.
Do you understand?” he asked rhetorically, according to Tass.
"There are other modern systems, there was nothing comparable in 2014," he added.
Putin reprimands West again: 'We've been fooled'
Putin again claimed that Russia wanted to resolve the conflict over Ukraine peacefully at the time.
At the same time, he accused the governments in Kiev and the West of having worked on upgrading Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea and the start of hostilities in Donbass nine years ago.
"As it turns out now, as we see, we were just being duped, none of our so-called partners had any intention of deciding anything peacefully," he said.
The TV appearance came shortly after an unexpected visit by Putin to Russian-occupied Mariupol.
However, there were also doubts about the authenticity of the pictures from the south-eastern Ukrainian city.
With a view to a possible start of the "special operation" in 2014, "conjunctive" are not appropriate, Putin now emphasized according to Tass.
The reality has changed.
+
Vladimir Putin on a tour of conquered Mariupol
© ---/POOL Russian TV via AP/dpa
The former mediators Germany and France had previously been accused of deception with regard to the Minsk peace plans for the Donbass.
Western partners "just pumped weapons into Ukraine and prepared it for combat."
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had repeatedly expressed similar allegations.
Ukraine war: Putin raises rearmament allegations - despite his own reference to new weapons
It seemed unclear in the conversation to what extent Putin wanted to accuse Ukraine and the West of rearmament since 2014, while he himself presented rearmament as the key to the ongoing Russian invasion.
Russia itself started the Ukraine war a good year ago.
Putin also justified the invasion of Ukraine by wanting to forestall a strike by the Ukrainian armed forces against the Donbass.
Moscow had accused the Ukrainian armed forces of waging war against their own people in the Donbass.
Kiev, in turn, accuses Russia of "genocide against the Ukrainians," including kidnapping and re-educating children.
Russia's aim is to completely destroy the independent and sovereign state of Ukraine.
An arrest warrant has now been issued from The Hague against Putin on charges of deporting children from Ukraine.
(
dpa/fn
)
List of rubrics: © IMAGO/Sergei Bobylev
