Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Tuesday that his country cannot be isolated or held back — no matter what punishment it receives — as he doubled down on his decision to invade Ukraine.
“We don’t intend to be isolated,” Putin said, according to Russian state television. “It is impossible to severely isolate anyone in the modern world, especially such a vast country as Russia.”
Putin insisted that any attempts to cut off Moscow would fail and Russia would never again depend on the West after the US and its allies imposed crippling sanctions to punish Putin for his self-described “special military operation” in Ukraine.
The Russian strongman said the deadly Feb. 24 invasion was necessary because he claimed the US was using Ukraine to threaten Moscow via NATO.
Putin added that Moscow was forced to defend Russian-speaking people in Ukraine from persecution.
Despite stiff resistance from Ukrainian troops and the sweeping sanctions from the West, Putin said he has no doubt Russia will achieve its “noble” objectives in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin warned the West on Tuesday that his country cannot be isolated or held back — no matter what punishment it receives. EPA/EVGENY BIYATOV / KREMLIN POOL / SPUTNIK MANDATORY CREDIT
A woman walks near a theater destroyed in the course of the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol on April 10, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Graves of civilians killed during the Ukraine-Russia conflict are seen next to apartment buildings in Mariupol on April 10, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Pro-Russian troops drive an armored vehicle during the Ukraine-Russia conflict. REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov
Vladimir Putin issued the warning to the West as he marked Russia’s annual Cosmonautics Day. REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov
Vladimir Putin said the invasion was necessary because he claimed the US was using Ukraine to threaten Moscow via NATO. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko“Its goals are absolutely clear and noble,” Putin said of Russia’s military campaign.
“On the one hand, we are helping and saving people, and on the other, we are simply taking measures to ensure the security of Russia itself,” he added. “It’s clear that we didn’t have a choice. It was the right decision.”
Putin issued the warning to the West as he marked Russia’s annual Cosmonautics Day, the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man to enter space.
A theater that was destroyed in the course of the Ukraine-Russia conflict in Mariupol. REUTERS/Pavel Klimov
Residents queue to get water during the Ukraine-Russia conflict, in the southern port city of Mariupol. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A resident rests near a building destroyed in the course of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, in the southern port city of Mariupol. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a visit to the Vostochny cosmodrome on April 12, 2022. YEVGENY BIYATOV/Sputnik/AFP via Getty ImagesSpeaking alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said the success of the Soviet space program was proof Russia could still achieve milestones in the face of tough conditions.
“The sanctions were total, the isolation was complete but the Soviet Union was still first in space,” he said.
Early Soviet space successes during the Cold War, including Gagarin’s flight and the 1957 launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite, spurred the US to create NASA.
With Post wires
