Putin ups tensions over Ukraine, suspending START nuke pact
Associated PressFeb 21, 2023
Day 363: Putin Blasts West and Withdraws from Nuclear Treaty in Major Address
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Facts
In a State of the Nation address on Tuesday, Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin sought to justify the invasion of Ukraine by alleging that the US and NATO sought to destroy Russia when they launched "not just a military and information, but an economic aggression" against Moscow. "They have not achieved success in either of these areas," he said. "The initiators of the sanctions are punishing themselves."
Putin further alleged that the Russian government submitted draft treaties on security guarantees to the US and NATO in December 2021 — three months before the invasion — but said they were ignored in favor of enacting plans in Ukraine that threatened Russia's security.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Despite using it to try to defend his unprovoked war of aggression, Putin's address repeated a litany of disproven grievances against the US and NATO while failing to take any responsibility for his illegal actions in Ukraine. The speech has not helped his case on the international stage.
Pro-Russia narrative
As Putin rightly highlighted, Russia tried to engage the US and NATO on security guarantees before the conflict started — the efforts were ignored and followed by a further buildup of NATO presence on Russia's borders. The blame for this conflict lies with the West for flagrantly posing an unacceptable security risk that prompted a defensive military operation.
Nerd narrative
There's a 12% chance that there will be more than four deaths between Russia and NATO forces outside of Ukraine before July 1, 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
