Putin says Russia is having a ‘complicated time’ ahead of first anniversary of Ukraine invasion

Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is having a “complicated time” as the one-year anniversary of his invasion of Ukraine approaches.

In his state of the nation address on Tuesday, 21 February, the Russian president said: “We were doing everything possible to solve this problem peacefully, negotiating a peaceful way out of this difficult conflict, but behind our backs a very different scenario was being prepared.”

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

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