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“The West is using the Ukrainian people to divide Russia and weaken it; we will never let that happen,” Putin said in his New Year 2023 address to his people on Saturday (12/31/2022), as quoted Sputnik.

He argued that morality and historical truth were on Russia’s side.

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Putin’s allegations came after he revealed last week that Russia was open to talks with all sides about a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. However, he said, it was Kiev and its Western allies that refused to negotiate.

“Our policy of opposition to geopolitics, which aims to divide Russia, is at the root of the Ukrainian conflict,” Putin said.

Russia rejects using a war narrative for its actions in Ukraine in favor of a “special military operations” narrative. Putin stressed that Russia is doing the right thing in Ukraine.

“I think we are acting in the right direction: we are protecting our national interests, the interests of our citizens, our people. And we have no choice but to protect our citizens,” she said.

On the same day, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu delivered a New Year 2023 message to the Moscow military. In his message, he emphasized that Russia’s military victory over Ukraine was inevitable.

Read also: Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu: Russia’s victory over Ukraine is inevitable

In an interview with Channel OneMoscow’s top diplomat said the “collective West,” led by the United States, had declared war on Russia in 2014.

He framed the Kremlin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine as part of a larger conflict. According to him, Russia is actually a long-term victim of Western aggression.

“The Western collectivity, which is led by nuclear powers – the United States – is at war with us,” Lavrov said, as reported by news agencies TAXFriday (30/12/2022).

Read also: Lavrov says hundreds of US troops are in Ukraine

“This war was declared on us a long time ago, after the coup in Ukraine orchestrated by the United States and, in fact, supported by the European Union,” Lavrov said, referring to the 2014 Maidan Revolution, the popular uprising that pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych overthrown.

Moscow says the 2014 uprising, in which more than 100 anti-government protesters were killed, was a coup d’état planned and executed by US and European intelligence agencies.

Yanukovych was forced out of office by a broad coalition of political groups and activists after he unexpectedly abandoned political associations and a free trade agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia and the European Union Eurasian economy.

Yanukovych eventually fled Ukraine and took refuge in Russia. The former president has been touted as someone Moscow would want to lead a puppet regime in Kiev if the current Russian invasion is successful.

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