Russia-Ukraine war LIVE updates: Biden announces US will host NATO Summit 2024

A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday said that the United Kingdom hopes that Kremlin leader Putin will “reconsider his rash decision to suspend Russia’s participation in the New START Treaty,”

When President Joe Biden was in Ukraine on Monday, Russia carried out a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile that appeared to have failed, said two US officials. According to a CNN report, one official said that Russia notified the US about the missile attack in advance through deconfliction lines or a line of communication with the Russian military. While another official said that the test did not pose a risk to the United States and that the US did not view the test as an anomaly or an escalation.

No official peace plans have been seen from China's side, said Zelenskyy. He also said that he is counting on international support for Ukraine’s own peace formula. While addressing a joint conference with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Zelensky said Ukraine is interested in all countries being involved in ending the war.

"We expect the UN to support our peace formula on February 23. I think it is essential to have one single standpoint," Zelensky said. "I have not seen any official document [from China]," reported CNN.

US President Joe Biden met with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Warsaw on Tuesday. Notably, this comes a few days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said his country has "deep concern" about Russia's efforts to destabilise Moldova's government. Last week, Sandu said that Russia was plotting a coup in Moldova.

During the meeting, Biden highlighted ongoing US assistance to "help Moldova strengthen its political and economic resilience, including its democratic reform agenda and energy security, and to address the effects of Russia’s war against Ukraine," per the official statement released by the White House.

In the wake of Russia's continuous attack on Ukraine, Poland has decided to now provide at least 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine in the "next two or three weeks," said the country’s foreign ministry on Tuesday.

Notably, the tanks will be provided only after the completion of the training of the Ukrainian troops, the ministry said. Łukasz Jasina, the spokesperson for Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Poland agreed to send fighter jets to Ukraine but that there was still some way to go in achieving a consensus among NATO countries.

"Just like it was with the tanks, we hope that this coalition will be big enough to support Ukrainians more and more." "Jets are very useful in the Ukrainian war," Jasina said. "Still, I’m an optimist," he added. "But we are a member of NATO, and we want to reach agreement on all such issues to participate in this together because the alliance is stronger when we are together," the spokesman said.

Czech President-elect Petr Pavel on Tuesday called US President Joe Biden’s visit to Kyiv and Warsaw an “extremely strong signal” of Washington’s commitment to Ukraine and its European allies. He also warned against negotiating with Russia, saying eastern European countries that were part of the Soviet Union-era Warsaw Pact defense treaty were highly aware of Russia’s capabilities. 

“We have no idealistic ideas about where Russia is heading, about the possibility of negotiation with Russia. We all know that Russia understands power,” Pavel told CNN. “For us, power comes from unity. That’s why we are very clear on a united approach of all EU and NATO countries against Russian aggression," reported CNN.

Image Credit: AP

The US President concluded his address in Warsaw and insisted that there is "no nobler goal" than freedom. "We do now must be done so our children and grandchildren know it as well," he added. "Freedom, stand with us, we will stand with you. Let us move forward with faith and conviction and a binding commitment to be allies," the US President concluded. The POTUS left the podium with thunderous applause from the Polish gathering. 

US President Biden took Putin's name ten times in his speech in Warsaw as he went after the Russian leader and expressed his support to the Ukrainian bloc, CNN reported. Putin on the other hand didn't mention his US counterpart's name in his lengthy speech. "President Putin's craven lust for land and power will fail, and the Ukrainians' love for their country will prevail," he said.

During his speech in Poland, US President Joe Biden announced that the United States will host the 2024 NATO summit. “Next year, I will host every member of NATO for our 2024 summit in the United States. Together, we’ll celebrate the 75th anniversary of the strongest defensive alliance in the history of the world: NATO,” Biden said Tuesday. Biden then went on to express his support for the alliance. “Let there be no doubt: commitment of the United States to our alliance and Article 5 is rock solid. And every member of NATO knows it and Russia knows it as well: an attack against one is an attack against all. It’s a sacred oath," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the delegation from the US House Representatives in Kyiv. According to CNN, the delegation was led by the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Michael McCaul. 

"This is a very powerful signal. Yesterday — President Biden's visit, today — a meeting with you. I believe this is very important evidence that the United States supports Ukraine," Zelensky said in a statement on Tuesday. 

The US President rebutted the proclamation made by the Russian President earlier today. "Tonight, I speak once more to the people of Russia. The United States and the nations of Europe do not seek to control or destroy Russia. The West was not plotting to attack Russia as Putin said today," Biden said Tuesday in a speech in Warsaw, Poland. "This war is never a necessity. It's a tragedy. President Putin chose this war," he added. 

Addressing the Polish gathering on Tuesday, Biden said that "Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia." "For free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and you know, this has been an extraordinary year in every sense," Biden said. "Extraordinary brutality of Russian forces and mercenaries. They have committed depravities, crimes against humanity without shame or compunction," he added. 

Biden then went on to call out Russia over their tactics used in the war, "They have targeted civilians with death and destruction," he said. "Used rape as a weapon of war. Stolen Ukrainian children in an attempt to steal Ukraine's bombed train station, maternity hospitals, schools, orphanages. No one, no one can turn away their eyes from the atrocities that Russia is committing. It is abhorrent. It is abhorrent. But extraordinarily, as well, has been the response of the Ukrainian people and the world," he added. 

Image Credits: AP 

In his evening speech, the US President attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin and asserted that 'Putin cannot be appeased, only opposed".  "The appetites of the autocrat cannot be appeased - they can only be opposed. Autocrats only understand one word - no, no, no," Biden said on Tuesday. "Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia," he added. The US president then went on to assert that the Russian President can end the war with just one word.  "He could end the war with a word - it's simple," Biden asserted. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called US President Joe Biden's visit to Ukraine a "performance". "What's new in this? You know, the performance is on. And so it continues,” Lavrov told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Tuesday. “Everything works in this vein, from the point of view of our former Western colleagues, and from the point of view of saving the Nazi regime. Attempts are futile," Lavrov added.

In his speech in Poland, the US President reiterated his promise to impose more sanctions on Russia this week. On Monday, Biden made similar assertions during his surprise visit to Ukraine. Watch Biden's speech. 

In the evening speech outside the Warsaw palace, the US President asserted that " Kyiv stands proud, tall, and free". "whole world faced a test of the ages when Russia invaded Ukraine, as well as NATO and all democracies," Biden said. The US President asserted that the Ukrainian allies are standing up for "democracy and sovereignty, and the right of people to live free from aggression".  

US President Joe Biden started off his speech by calling Poland "one of the US’ great allies". The US President thanked his Polish counterpart for the warm welcome.  

Before Biden addressed the gathering at the event, the Polish president asserted in the speech that the "defenders of Ukraine will prevail". He then went on to add that the "horrible sacrifice of Ukrainians will bear the fruits of victory." The Polish President also praised Biden's visit to Ukraine and said, "Biden stood in Ukraine above all odds, and has shown that Ukraine is not alone".

Polish President Andrzej Duda is giving a speech outside the Warsaw Palace in Poland. In his speech, the Polish president asserted that Ukraine "has to win" the Russia-Ukraine war. The Polish President then went on to thank the US and NATO for sending military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

"We are relying on ourselves. It is we Ukrainians who want to win but we need support. We are ready for talks but not on basis of compromises or else another war will come in future," Former Ukraine Foreign Minister said.

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday that the world has repeatedly urged Russia not to resort to nuclear threats in his standoff with the west over the war in Ukraine.

Speaking on a visit to an area in Turkey after the deadly quake, Baerbock also said Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to suspend a landmark nuclear arms control treaty with the US underscored the importance of moves towards nuclear disarmament.

As US President Joe Biden is in Poland, the White House have said that POTUS' remarks at the Kubicki Arkades is a widely anticipated event.

In a press briefing, the White House said: “The speech will be carried live by all major TV networks. The U.S. Embassy in Warsaw invited not only government officials and leaders of all political parties, but also the general public. “I cordially invite you to the speech of President Joe Biden in Warsaw. This is a unique opportunity to see the President of the United States live” – wrote the U.S. Ambassador Mark Brzezinski.

"Those who were interested in attending the event were required to register on the Embassy’s website. Thousands of people are expected. Those who won’t be able to enter the gated area will have the opportunity to watch the speech on the large outdoor screens.”

Ex-US president Donald Trump believes he could get Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to hammer out a peace deal if he gets elected after the US election.

“So I would literally start calling, not from the day I took over but from the night I won. I’d call two people. You know who the people are? Putin, right you know who Putin is, and Zelensky. And I’d say ‘were gonna meet, we’re gonna meet’. And I guarantee I could work that out, I guarantee. I know exactly what I’d say, by the way. I’d tell one guy this and I’d tell one guy that and I’d say you better make a deal. We would have a deal made in 24 hours,” Trump said, speaking at an event in Palm Beach, Florida on Monday night.

Wagner's boss Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian Defense Ministry of  "treason" for an alleged attempt to destroy his private military company.

In an audio recording published Tuesday by his press service on Telegram, he said: "The Chief of the General Staff and the Minister of Defense are handing out commands right and left, that the Wagner PMC should not receive ammunition, they are also not helping with air transport."

“There is direct opposition, which is called nothing more than an attempt to destroy PMCs," he said. “This can be equated to high treason now when the Wagner PMC are fighting for Bakhmut, losing hundreds of their fighters every day.”

The miffed Wagner chief further complained about the increase in the number of deaths within Wagner, citing a consistent lack of supplies.

“Wagner PMCs do not have ammunition. Why do the rest of the units also have a constant shortage of ammunition? A handful of military functionaries decided that this is their country, their people, who decided that these people would die when it suits them,” he said.

The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni dismissed Putin's  'state of the nation' address and called it "propaganda" as she arrived in Kyiv ahead of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "A part of my heart hoped for some different words, for a step ahead. It was propaganda," Meloni said on Tuesday, Sky News reported. The Italian PM also went on to assert that Italy will be with Ukraine "to the end". 

The Ukrainian Education Ministry on Tuesday ordered Ukraine schools to teach remotely over attack of fears on the one year of Russian invasion i.e. February 24.

Schools were told to hold classes remotely from 22-24 February because of the risk of Russian missile strikes. In a statement, the ministry recommended schools “to protect the lives and health of all participants in the educational process, as a preventive measure before the anniversary”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is preparing to visit Russia for a summit with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in the coming months, according to people familiar with the plan, reported Wall Street Journal. China said it wants to play a more active role aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine.

Ukrainian Military's Operational Command South asserted that the Russian shelling killed at least 6 people and injured 12 in Ukraine's southern city of Kherson on Tuesday. “A local market and a public transport stop were shelled. Civilians of Kherson were injured and killed right in the middle of the street, in their own homes and workplaces,” the Ukrainian military group asserted in a Facebook post on Tuesday “As of now, there are about 6 dead and 12 wounded," the military added. The Ukrainian forces also informed that several buildings were left heavily damaged in the unfortunate incident. 

US President Joe Biden thanked Polish President Andrzej Duda for Warsaw's "unwavering" commitment to supporting Ukraine in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. In the bilateral meeting with the Polish President, Biden asserted that Kyiv is in a "better position than we’ve ever been” and called on NATO countries to “keep our head and our focus.” “I made it clear that the commitment of the United States is real and that a year later I would argue NATO is stronger than it’s ever been,” Biden said. He then went on to talk about the connection between the Polish and American people. "The connection between Polish and American people is extremely strong and deep,” Biden said. “A lot of challenges we have to face but I’m confident we can do it together,” he added. 

The Polish President, Andrzej Duda said that US President Joe Biden's visit to Poland is an "important sign" of the United States's commitment to maintaining security in Europe. “Your visit is an important sign of security, a signal of U.S. responsibility for the security of the world and Europe. America can keep the world order,” Duda told Biden during their bilateral meeting, The Guardian reported. 

China's top diplomat Wang Yi has arrived in Moscow to hold bilateral talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. According to the Russian News Agency, Tass, Yi's visit to Russia marked the first time a Chinese diplomat visited the country after the Russia-Ukraine war. Last month, Wanfg was named Xi Jinping's top foreign policy advisor. His visit to the country came hours after the Russian President addressed the country's Federal Assembly on Tuesday. 

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Russia's decision to suspend its participation in the New START Treaty was "deeply unfortunate and irresponsible." The US diplomat made it clear that the Biden administration is ready to talk to Moscow over the arms treaty at any time, irrespective of whatever else is going around the world, CNN reported. "We'll be watching carefully to see what Russia does," he said. "The US will ensure that it is posturing appropriately for the security of our own country and that of our allies," he added. 

US President sat down with the Polish President Andrzej Duda for a bilateral meeting. The US president is expected to give a speech outside the Warsaw castle. Biden's visit to Poland came a day after his surprise visit to Ukraine. The two world leaders are expected to talk about the west's military strategy to counter the Russian forces on the Ukrainian border. 

US President Joe Biden met Polish President Andrzej Duda ahead of his big speech outside the Warsaw castle. The US President is expected to stay in Poland for two days where he will meet the representatives of NATO. 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Moscow's win in the Russia-Ukraine war would turn out to be "dangerous for the whole world". Stoltenberg said that Moscow's win would show that "aggression works and force is rewarded". "It would be dangerous for our own security and for the whole world, so we must sustain and step up our support for Ukraine," he added. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the American personnel sent to Ukraine are "legitimate military targets". According to Sky News, the Russian Ministry told the US Ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy that Washington must withdraw American and NATO military equipment to "de-escalated its deepening confrontations". The ministry also called the US a "party to the conflict". "It was indicated the weapons supplied to Kyiv, as well as service personnel, including American citizens, are a legitimate target," read a translated account of the meeting posted by the ministry on Telegram. Earlier today the Ministry announced that it has summoned the American ambassador over Washington's growing assertiveness in the Ukrainian conflict. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy was summoned on Tuesday over Washington's growing involvement in the Ukraine conflict, Sputnik reported. "A demarche was made to the head of the US diplomatic mission summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on February 21 in connection with the expanding involvement of the United States in hostilities on the side of the Kyiv regime," the statement reads. This came after the Russian President unleashed an attack on the west and the US during his "state of the nation speech" to the Russian Federal Assembly. On Monday, the US President paid a surprise visit to Ukraine and pledged an additional $500 million in aid to the war-stricken country.

US President Joe Biden will meet Polish President Andrzej Duda before he gives out his address outside the Warsaw castle in the evening. According to the Guardian, the meeting between the two world leaders will take place at 12:30 GMT. Earlier today, Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser told the reporters that the two leaders would discuss the need to bolster NATO's eastern flank. “Poland has been a critical player in that it has been critical to hosting very large numbers of Ukrainian refugees. It has been a critical logistics hub for military assistance going into Ukraine, and it has been a strong voice as part of a unified western effort to try to ensure that there are no cracks – that the west and the larger coalition of nations holds together strongly, for as long as it takes,” Sullivan said. 

On Tuesday, the Russian President addressed the Russian Federal Assembly in the 'state of the nation speech. During his speech, Putin lashed out at the West for supporting the Ukrainian regime to counter the "Russian military operation". Here are some of the key takeaways from Putin's speech. 

• Putin admitted that Russia is facing a "very difficult time". However he asserted that it is "impossible to beat Russia on the battlefield". 
• Putin pledged to organise fair presidential elections next year. 
• Putin urged oligarchs to spend to invest in Russia instead of spending their money on the West. 
• Special fund will be created for unpaid Russian soldiers
• Putin announced the suspension of Russia's participation in the nuclear arms treaty with the US.

To Know more about the Russian President's Tuesday address, Click here

Russian President Vladimir Putin has now finished his 'state of the nation' address to the Russian Federal Assembly. The speech lasted for one hour and 45 minutes. "Russia will respond to any challenges. Because we are all a single country. We are one big united people. We are confident in our power. Truth is with us. Thank you," the Russian President concluded. 

Russian President gave out a stern reply to the US after he announced the suspension of Moscow's participation in the nuclear arms treaty.  "I am forced to announce today that Russia is suspending its participation in the strategic offensive arms treaty," Putin asserted in his speech to the Russia Federal Assembly. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was first signed in 1991 and was succeeded by New START in 2010. The treaty between the two nations limited the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles in both countries. 

The website of the Russian state TV and radio company VGTRK went down during Putin's "state of the nation" address, Sky News reported. Putin's address to the Federal Assembly is being broadcasted live on several state media platforms. The speech by the Russian President has lasted more than an hour and a half as of now. 

During his "state of the nation" speech, Putin stated that Russia will hold fair elections next year. "The presidential election in 2024 will be held in strict accordance with the law and in compliance with all democratic constitutional procedures," Putin said. "We must all combine our efforts, our responsibilities and our rights to uphold one historical supreme right: the right of Russia to be strong," he added. 

A top Ukrainian official said that Vladimir Putin has “lost touch with reality”. Mykhailo Podolyak, the adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, asserted that Putin "inhabits a reality where dialogue on international law and justice are not possible." The Ukrainian official then went on to assert that Putin's position is hopeless".

"Putin publicly demonstrated his irrelevance and confusion. He stressed that RF is in a "taiga deadlock”, has no promising solutions and won't have any. Because everywhere there are "Nazis, Martians and conspiracy theories"... Sic transit gloria mundi of Putin in RF’s parliament," Podolyak tweeted on Tuesday.  

The Russian President mentioned ally Belarus for the first time in his 'state of the nation speech'. Last week, the two nations signed an agreement which integrated the two ally countries further as a Union State, Sky News reported. "I would like to emphasise that those who were born and grew up in Belarus and in the Donbas, those who fought for the independence of these areas, need to be at the forefront of our future development," Putin said on Tuesday. "Russia is counting on you to take into account these massive tasks," he added. 

Belarus said on Tuesday that there was a significant grouping of Ukrainian troops massed near its border and warned that this posed a threat to its security, reported The Guardian.

“At present, a significant grouping of the Ukrainian army is concentrated in the immediate vicinity of the Belarusian-Ukrainian section of the state border,” the Belarusian defence ministry said in a post on Telegram.

“The probability of armed provocations, which can escalate into border incidents, has been high for a long time,” it said, adding that it would take “measures to adequately respond” but would act in a restrained way."

The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, spoke to reporters during at least some of Putin’s speech, reported The Guardian. He said as far as he knew, Joe Biden was not watching the speech either, and stressed that Biden’s own address this evening outside Warsaw’s royal castle was in no way intended to be some sort of response to the Russian leader.

Sullivan said that Putin appeared to have brought his speech forward to coincide with Biden’s visit to eastern Europe.

“We did not set this speech up as some kind of head-to-head. This is not a rhetorical contest with anyone else. This is an affirmative statement of values and vision for what the world we’re both trying to build and defend should look like,” Sullivan said.

“The speech is something he has wanted to do now for some time, building on the remarks that he gave here in Poland nearly one year ago. What he wants to have the opportunity to do is set Russia’s war in Ukraine in a larger context,” he added, billing this evening’s speech as “vintage Joe Biden”

“His remarks will speak specifically to the conflict in Ukraine but of course they will also speak to the larger contest at stake between those aggressors who are trying to destroy fundamental principles and those democracies we’re pulling together to try to uphold [them].”

TASS reported that in April 2021, the speech took 1 hour and 19 minutes. In 2018, the speech was the longest and took 1 hour 55 minutes. In 2004 and 2005, Putin delivered his shortest speeches of 48 minutes each.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a moment of silence in memory of Russians who have been killed during the conflict in Ukraine in his speech, reported CNN.

"I'd just like to thank everybody, to the Russian people for its courage and thank you to our heroes in the armed forces to the frontier forces and all the security services, particularly their Donetsk and Luhansk squadrons," Putin said in his address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow.

Putin took a moment to thank farmers in Russia for what he called a "record harvest" in the country. He added that he plans to increase the export of grain to 60 million tonnes by the end of 2023. 

He said it would have been a "fairytale" a few years ago to predict this level of increase would happen. Putin also said blockades preventing grain exports from Ukraine pushed prices up globally over the past year.

Putin said Russian domestic banks are stable and Moscow does not need to borrow additional money from abroad. He said inflation in Russia will be 4% - less than in the West. "We do not have to ask for money abroad," he said.

(Image: AP)

"We have been open, frank and sincere in wanting an open dialogue with the West and we have said many times that the world needs indivisible security and we invited all countries of the world to talk about that," Putin said in his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow. 

"But as a response, all we got was a hypocritical, incomprehensible reply, as well as quite substantive, concrete actions -- the expansion of NATO -- the so-called umbrella of defense of our country and Central Asia."

"They are not going to stop. The threat continues every day," Putin said. "And they're preparing for bloodshed in the Donbas."

The Donbas comprises the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine.

"The elite of the West does not conceal their ambitions, which is to strategically defeat Russia. What does that mean? It means to finish yourself once and for all," Putin said. "They do that by making local conflicts into much wider and bigger ones."

Putin added that the United States in particular sees the conflict in Ukraine "as an anti-Russian project."

"The aim is to seize these historically Russian lands from us," Putin added. "Nothing has changed. It is just a question of a continuation of the same policy."

Olexander Scherba, Ukraine’s ambassador to Austria, responded to Putin's speech, calling him a liar.

"Putin at it again, with his usual set of grievances. The biggest one: the west and Ukraine were ready for a war with Russia. As if there was no Russian ultimatum. As if Macron, Scholz and company didn’t spend 2021 traveling to Moscow, begging Russia not to do it. What a liar."

Putin said the country should "not repeat the mistakes of the past" and "should not try to destroy" its own economy. He added Russia has "everything" it needs to safely continue developing  the country. He said the Russian GDP has reduced 2.2%.

The West has created the collapse of its own energy sectors by sanctioning Russian-linked companies and individuals, said Putin. "All sanctions are just a means, but the objective is to force our citizens to suffer - this is their humanistic approach," he said. 

"They are trying to destabilise our society from the inside."

They have not been successful and the government has spent 3bn rubles in measures to stabilise the economy, stated Putin He said the Russian GDP has reduced 2.2%.

The government will create a special state fund for the families of Russians who have died in the war, said Putin, amid accusations by Russian military bloggers that the military is making it impossible for them to receive promised payments, reported Sky News.

Every family will get a personal contact in the bureaucratic organisation of this fund, he says, and the fund will be deployed by the end of this year. "We need to work on this and improve this," said Putin.

Russia will continue "implementing the latest technologies" to improve its army, Putin said. 

Continuing his address, Putin added that some developments are already "exceeding the parameters of Western equipment". 

The Russian president explained that the country's objective is to "create a mass production" of such weapons using its own industrial and scientific base model.

Putin will not monitor Biden’s Poland speech, Russian state media says

Putin will not monitor US President Joe Biden’s address in Poland later on Tuesday but would be "informed of the main theses," according to state media TASS.

Biden is now in Poland to meet with President Andrzej Duda and will deliver a major speech to mark the one-year anniversary of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Biden's surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday was "not seen as an 'extraordinary' event for Russia," TASS reported.

Putin to citizens of 'annexed' Ukrainian territory: 'You yourself determined your future'

Referring to the widely derided referendums in the partially occupied areas of Ukraine late last year, Putin said:

I would like to express a special gratitude to the citizens of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. You yourself determined your future. You made your choice despite the threats of terror of the Nazis. Next to you there were military actions taking place, and you made the choice to be together with Russia. To be together with your motherland.

Putin said Russia became stronger after reunification with Donbass.

I would like to bow down to relatives and wives', said Putin. Putin thanked "all people of Russia" for their "heroic attitude". 

Starting by thanking the navy, the army, and all the forces in Donbas and Luhansk, the Russian president went on to acknowledge volunteers fighting in "different areas". "I will not be able to name all of them," he said. 

Putin has said, without providing any evidence, that in the west “even paedophilia is announced as a normal thing.”

He said the west recognises same sex marriage. He says “That’s fine. They’re adults. They have the right to live their lives. We are always very tolerant about this in Russia.”

But, he says, scripture says marriage is between a man and a woman, and he also cites media reports that the Anglican church was considering gender neutral terms for God.

Vladimir Putin said the West "released the genie from the bottle" in the ten years prior to the war.

Putin claimed the Ukrainian people had become “hostages of their western masters” who ooccupied the country in political, economic and military terms. He says “the regime is not serving their national interest. They are serving the interests of foreign powers.”

He said the west is trying to turn a local conflict into a global conflict and “we will react in an appropriate way. We are talking about the existence of our country.”

(Image: ANI)

Putin: "Kyiv's next goal was to strike Crimea and Sevastopol. Now Kyiv is openly talking about it. They revealed what we already knew well."

We are protecting our home and people's lives, and the goal of the West is unlimited power, continued Putin

No other country in the world has such number of military bases abroad as US, there are hundreds of them, asserted Putin

"The concepts of honour, trust, decency are not for the [West]. They are used to spitting on the whole world. It turned out that they treat the peoples of their countries in the same way," said Putin.

The West was negotiating the supply of air defense to Ukraine even before the special operation started, Putin said

Western elites have become a symbol of total unprincipled lies. Russia was ready for constructive dialogue with West and suggested for many years to work together on joint security architecture. Western politics is the personification of lies. Moreover, they deceive their own citizens, do not value their peoples.

Putin said, Russia firmly defends not only its own interests, world should not be divided into 'civilized' countries and rest.

“We had no doubt” Putin said, that in February 2022 “everything was prepared” for a punitive action by Kyiv on Donbas. “All of this was completely against the documents accepted by the UN security council”.

“I would like to repeat, they started the war, and we used force in order to stop it” Putin said.

He said the objective of the west was unlimited power, and that Sevastapol was obviously the next target after Donbas.

Western leaders were discussing the supply of nuclear weapons to Ukraine before Russia's "special military operation", Vladimir Putin claimed.

He says the West had already sent heavy military equipment, planes and defence systems to Ukraine.

NATO were setting up military bases and biological laboratories on Russian borders, he says.

They were telling "repulsive lies" when they talked about the Minsk agreements, says Mr Putin.

Vladimir Putin said that Russia was facing a "very difficult" time at the moment and he was delivering today's address in "very difficult context". 

In a bid to defend his 'special military operation' in Ukraine, the Russian president goes on to say troops have been working to "ensure security" on the country's "historic lands". 

He claims Ukrainians have been waiting for Russians to "come to their help" and his forces have done "everything possible" to resolve "this problem in a peaceful way". 

Members of the Federal Assembly and the rest of those in attendance rose as President Putin took the stage. 

The speech has now started.

Russian television is leading with breathless coverage before Vladimir Putin’s “state of the nation” speech on Tuesday, which takes place ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, reported The Guardian.

“We know the president will take the speech himself to the podium,” said Pavel Zarubin, a Kremlin correspondent on state-run television, during a live broadcast that began hours before Putin’s speech. “We all know that he can make changes to the text just moments before he gives the speech. And only Putin knows what he is going to say today.”

“Unbelievably fascinating details,” an anchor said after the report, which included details of the blue carpet that Putin will trod on his way to the stage at the Gostiny Dvor centre. Guests at the event will include Russian politicians, soldiers and other pro-Kremlin activists.

As the war in Ukraine completes one year on February 24, it is expected that Putin will focus on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, something which Moscow has termed as a 'special military operation'. 

"Our entire life spins around the special op issue. And the special military operation influences our life in one way or another, influences the life on the continent. Therefore, of course, it would be reasonable to expect that the president will pay a lot of attention to the operation," Peskov said. He added that "everyone is waiting for the address, hoping to hear the assessment of the affairs, the assessment of the special military operation, the assessment of the international situation and the president’s vision of how we manage it and how we will develop in the future".

US President Joe Biden is due to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw on Tuesday during a two-day visit ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The White House said Biden is to deliver a speech in front of the Polish capital's Royal Castle in the evening, before meeting with representatives of other eastern European NATO countries on Wednesday.

According to Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to deliver his address to the Federal Assembly on Tuesday, February 21. The event will take place at noon in Moscow's Gostiny Dvor venue. The speech is due to begin at 0900 GMT in central Moscow. This speech comes at a crucial time as the one year anniversary of Russia's invasion rounds the corner, especially with United States President Joe Biden having visited war-torn Kyiv on Monday as a show of solidairty.