Putin's speech marks a new stage of the war in Ukraine, his message is unequivocal: Russia is fighting to overthrow what it considers a despotic world order led by the West. This is how the Western press reacted to Vladimir Putin's "St. George's Speech", in which the Russian president issued a sharp condemnation of the United States and its allies, mentioning the slave trade and the plundering of Africa, the genocide of Indian tribes in America, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the carpet bombing of Vietnam.Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a speech in the Kremlin and at a rally concert on Red Square, warned the West of its readiness to fight to the end and demonstrated to the rest of the world the desire to lead a global movement against US hegemony, The New York Times reports.
"Putin addressed three key audiences. He explained the growing difficulties to the Russians, insisting that they were fighting for their survival. He showed the West his determination to continue fighting, despite sanctions and arms supplies to Ukraine," the American newspaper believes.
"And for the rest of the world, Putin presented himself as the leader of a global movement against "Western racists." He claimed that the West has not changed since when it brutally colonized other countries and waged wars to gain an economic advantage," the NYT publication says.
"The truth is behind us, and in the truth there is strength, which means victory! Victory will be ours!" Putin said during a rally on Red Square, borrowing a catch phrase from a 2000 Russian crime film," the publication adds, alluding to the cult film "Brother 2" and the dialogue between the main characters of the picture Danila Bagrov and Richard Mannis on the topic of money, power and truth.
In another article, the New York Times calls the reunification of Russia with four regions part of Moscow's existential battle with the West. "Putin also described the conflict with the West even more harshly than in previous speeches, talking about the centuries-old military actions of the West. He condemned the American–led world order as fundamentally evil, corrupt and aimed at destroying Russia," the newspaper points out.
"Without saying it directly, Putin also hinted that he thinks about the role of nuclear weapons in the war. Describing the West as "thoroughly deceitful and hypocritical," he noted that the United States was the only country that used nuclear weapons in the war. Then he added: "By the way, they have set a precedent," the publication concludes.
"Mr. Putin's nuclear threats remain ambiguous. He did not directly say that Russia would use nuclear weapons. But his comment of September 21 seems to go beyond the Russian doctrine, according to which nuclear weapons can be used only in the event of a threat to the existence of the Russian state," The Wall Street Journal notes in turn.
"Eight and a half years after Vladimir Putin announced the return of Crimea, he gathered Russia's elite in the St. George Hall of the Kremlin for another ceremony: this time claiming four more regions of Ukraine," writes The British The Guardian.
"Friday's speech will probably go down in history as another milestone in Putin's long reign in Russia. And although it was the same hall, the same people and the same message as on the topic of Crimea in March 2014, the context is completely different now. Outside of Russia, many believed that Putin was right: how can the West lecture others about the violation of sovereignty after Iraq and Libya? Many European politicians would like to return to normal relations with Russia," the publication adds, noting that this time the international situation is much less favorable for Moscow.
"They don't want us to be free. They want us to be a colony. They don't want an equal partnership, they want to rob us," he said, and switched from condemning the "totalitarianism, despotism and apartheid" of today's West to the historic looting of India, the bombing of Dresden at the end of World War II and "multipolarity" in vogue in the West," the Guardian states.
Against this background, CNN sees in Putin's "St. George's Speech" Russia's readiness to "put an end to the war": "Kurt Volker, the former US special representative for Ukraine, believes that Putin may be preparing for peace. "I think he is trying to say, brandishing nuclear weapons: let's agree on a settlement. And let me keep what I've already taken." "No one knows what is really going on in Putin's head. There are doubts that Putin is ready to compromise for the sake of peace that goes beyond his conditions," the TV channel adds.
At the same time, National Interest believes that "Putin's speech marks a new dangerous stage of the war in Ukraine." "Putin's message is unequivocal: Russia is fighting to overthrow what it considers a closed and despotic world order led by the West," the publication says. "This appeal marks the logical culmination of the emerging anti-Western tendencies outlined in Putin's speech at the Munich Conference in 2007," NI notes.
"The speech should largely be seen as a sharp condemnation of the Western world, which mentioned the slave trade and the plundering of Africa, the genocide of Indian tribes in America, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the carpet bombing of Vietnam," the publication emphasizes.
At the same time, the German press mainly assesses Putin's "St. George's Speech" in the context of the coming winter, the energy crisis and the threat to liberal values. "It seems that Putin is more and more radical in terms of ideology. He postponed the role of the striker, and instead took on the role of defender of Russia and the last bastion defending justice in the world," the Süddeutsche Zeitung points out.
At the same time, the Polish press, unlike CNN, does not see opportunities for compromise on Ukraine. "In order to preserve the conquered lands, Putin must defeat the Ukrainian army. And the Ukrainians, in order to defeat Putin, must release them. There is no place for a draw here. Therefore, the war will continue," Rzeczpospolita sums up, keeping silent about the role of the West and in particular Poland in this confrontation.
