Watch Putin make his state of the nation address ahead of first anniversary of Ukraine war

Vladimir Putin gave his state of the nation address on Tuesday, 21 February, to Russia’s parliament.

The address, which set out aims for the second year of his invasion of Ukraine, came three days before the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the war.

It also came a day after Joe Biden made a surprise trip to Kyiv in which he promised to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

There was no official Russian response to the US president’s visit, but state television ran headlines describing how the Volodymyr Zelensky was “paid a visit by ‘his master”, perpetuating false Kremlin propaganda that Ukraine is controlled by the West.

In his address, Putin spoke to members of both houses of the Russian parliament in Moscow.

He sought to reassure Russia’s political and military elites on the Ukraine conflict and share his analysis of the international situation.

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