Western countries continue to act as if they are God’s representatives on Earth by trying to maintain their global dominance through imposing duplicitous rules, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
Speaking at a meeting of top Russian Defense Ministry officials on Monday, Putin noted that the military and political situation in the world remains complicated and unstable, pointing to the bloodshed in the Middle East and other regions of the world.
The president stated that the current US administration, as well as most other Western governments, are still trying to preserve their global hegemony and force the international community to play by their “so-called rules” that constantly change and distort in a way that is convenient for them.
“In fact, there is only one stable rule: no rules for those who make the rules, for those who consider themselves to be at the head of the whole world, those who consider themselves to be representatives of God on Earth, although they themselves do not believe in God,” Putin said.
He said that those who refuse to play by the West’s rules are subjected to hybrid wars and a “policy of containment,” as has been done in respect to Russia.
“In an effort to weaken our country, to inflict a strategic defeat on us, the US continues to pump the de facto illegitimate ruling regime in Kiev with weapons and money, send mercenaries and military advisers and thereby encourage further escalation of the conflict,” the president explained.
He also alleged that the West was instilling fear into its citizens by effectively provoking Russia and pushing it to the “red line” and then using that response to further frighten their populations.
Putin stressed that the West’s continued support for Ukraine, as well as its continued expansion and deployment of weapons near Russia’s borders, are pushing Moscow to the point where it will eventually have no other choice but to retaliate.
He mentioned that Russia is already taking additional measures to ensure its security and that of its allies, such as updating its nuclear doctrine and equipping its army, navy, and strategic nuclear forces with modern weapons.
In November, Russia officially revised its nuclear doctrine, lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons. According to the document, Moscow reserves the right to deploy its nuclear arsenal against a nuclear or conventional attack that poses “a critical threat to its sovereignty and/or territorial integrity.”
The revised doctrine also states that an attack against Russia by a foreign nation that does not have weapons of mass destruction, but is backed by a nuclear power, should be considered as a joint attack by both.