Putin accuses West of 'prolonging Ukraine conflict'
In his first media interview since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States (US) and other Western nations of prolonging the conflict. During his interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson on Thursday (local time), the Russian president urged America to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine. "If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons. It will be over within a few weeks," Putin said.
Why does this story matter?
Putin's interview comes at a time when American lawmakers are engaged in a debate over providing additional funding for Ukraine's war efforts against the Kremlin. It also coincides with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to replace the army chief with his ground forces commander, among other developments. In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine over territorial disputes and also to prevent the country from being part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Russia, Ukraine were close to peace talks conclusion: Putin
Speaking about peace talks with Ukraine, Putin alleged that both nations were close to a conclusion when President Zelenskyy started obeying the instructions from the West. "Ukraine threw away all these agreements and obeyed the instructions of Western countries, European countries, and the US to fight Russia to the bitter end," he told Carlson.
Watch: Carlson's interview with Putin here
Putin warned Biden of 'historic mistake'
Recalling his last discussion with US President Joe Biden before the "war," Putin told Biden that he was making a "huge mistake of historic proportions" by backing Ukraine and "pushing Russia away." He also blamed former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and said that he had prevented Zelenskyy from signing a peace treaty during the early stages of the war.
