Ukraine: Vladimir Putin castigates the West which seeks to "divide" Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Kremlin on December 21, 2022. AFP - MIKHAIL KIREYEV

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In an interview broadcast on the first Russian television channel, Vladimir Putin said he was ready to negotiate.

The Russian president once again denounced Western attempts to divide historic Russia, while displaying the certainty that Russian forces will be able to destroy American Patriot missiles.

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With our correspondent in Moscow,

If

in Ukraine, it is the fault of the Ukrainians and their Western allies, according to Vladimir Putin.

The problem, still according to the Russian president, is that the geopolitical adversaries of Russia, in this case the West and kyiv, seek to divide historical Russia, namely to destroy the historic link that has existed for centuries between kyiv and Moscow.

This is the point of view defended by the Russian President this Sunday, December 25 on television, while emphasizing that Russia was ready to negotiate with all the participants in this process, however - and the nuance is important - that it is possible to obtain acceptable results.

Defense of Russia's interests

But Vladimir Putin was careful not to mention the avenues or give examples that would make it possible to achieve this result.

This was an opportunity for him to justify the military operation in Ukraine.

The Russian president repeated that Moscow was only defending its national interests, those of its citizens and its people.

After denouncing the fact that Russia's interests were marginalized in the aftermath of

, Vladimir Putin may be hoping that the West will finally hear him.

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• Russia

• Ukraine

• Vladimir Poutine