(Moscow) Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he had “firmly” 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.
“We have firmly and constantly defended our national interests, the security of our country and our citizens,” said Mr. Poutin 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.
PHOTO ANDRIY ANDRIYENKO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Russia spans 11 time zones, and the easternmost provinces have already celebrated the start of the new year, long before the Moscow region.
Mr. 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 Mr. Putin with massive sanctions in the event of an attack, which would be a “colossal mistake,” the Kremlin replied.
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.
“This insidious disease has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people,” he lamented, adding that his government’s “main goal” for the next year was to “improve welfare and quality. life of the population ”.
Russia’s national statistics agency (Rosstat) on Thursday reported more than 87,000 COVID-19-related deaths in November alone, a record in that country.
According to Rosstat, more than 600,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Russia to date, nearly double the government’s official toll.