Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed today, Wednesday, that he does not doubt the victory in Ukraine, despite the field setbacks for his country's forces, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saw that Russia and China are aware of the West's "tricks" of containment attempts, and likened Western policies towards his country to the Nazi plan to exterminate the Jews.

During a visit to an arms factory in his native St. Petersburg, Putin told workers and reporters, "Victory is certain, I have no doubts about it."

"The unity and solidarity of the Russian people, the courage and heroism of our fighters and, of course, the work of the military-industrial sector will ensure victory," he added.

Putin praised the Russian defense industry, in his speech at the facility of the Russian missile manufacturer Almaz-Antey, and said, "We have something to rely on, and we can only inspire us that victory will be ours."

The Russian president again defended his goals in Ukraine, saying, "We have the right to say that we are fighting neo-Nazism."

Putin was visiting the second Russian city after Moscow on the occasion of the eightieth anniversary of the Soviet forces breaking the siege of Leningrad, as the city was known at the time.

His comments came a week after he replaced the commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, a decision that followed a series of setbacks on the battlefield there last year.

Putin during his visit to a weapons factory today (Reuters)

Moscow and Beijing

On the other hand, Lavrov said in his annual press conference that the West sees Moscow and Beijing as a threat, but Washington does not have enough power to tighten its grip on both countries, so it called on Europe, Japan and other countries to join it.

The Russian minister stressed that his country's relations with Beijing are stronger than ever, and that the two countries are trying hard to increase the volume of trade exchange between them using their local currencies, to reduce dependence on the West and avoid sanctions.

Russia and China signed a "borderless" partnership last February, and economic relations between them have also developed with the contraction of Russian relations with the West as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Lavrov indicated that the United States had cut off talks with Russia on a strategic dialogue, and that relations between Washington and Moscow would not return to their previous state.

Lavrov considered that former US President Barack Obama was responsible for starting the diplomatic dispute between the two countries, after he expelled 35 Russian diplomats following reports of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections.

The Russian Foreign Minister confirmed that his country is ready to respond to any serious proposals to end the war, but it has not yet received any of them, he said.

Lavrov also defended the goals that the Kremlin seeks to achieve in the war, saying, "The goals are not made up and did not come out of nowhere. They are goals determined by the basic and legitimate security interests of the Russian Federation."

Evoke Hitler

In another file, Lavrov said at the same press conference that Western countries are waging a proxy war against Russia through Ukraine.

"Just like Napoleon rallied practically all of Europe against the Russian Empire, and just like (former German leader Adolf) Hitler rallied and captured ... the majority of European countries and set them against the Soviet Union, the United States is now forming an alliance," he added.

"The mission is the same: the final solution to the Russian question. Just like Hitler, who wanted to finally solve the question of the Jews," the Russian foreign minister said.

This is not the first time that Lavrov has addressed Hitler and the Jews, as he said last May that Hitler had "Jewish blood", which caused a wave of accusations against him of anti-Semitism, prompting Putin to apologize to Israel at the time.