Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused the West of stoking a global conflict and asserted that Russia will try to prevent a global clash but would not let itself be threatened. He was addressing massed ranks of Russian servicemen on Red Square on the occasion of Victory Day, which marks the 79th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s win over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
As Russian troops advance against Ukraine’s Western-backed forces, Putin accused “arrogant” Western elites of forgetting the decisive role played by the Soviet Union in defeating Nazi Germany, and of stoking conflicts across the world. “We know what the exorbitance of such ambitions leads to. Russia will do everything to prevent a global clash,” he said.
