Vladimir Putin says will use nuclear arms to defend our sovereignty

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country was not threatening the world with nuclear weapons, but warned that Moscow “will use such weapons to defend its sovereignty” and  declared the end of “the era of the unipolar world”.

Addressing the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, a showcase event being held this year with almost no Western participation, he returned time and again to the theme of Russia’s sovereignty in a new global order: “We are strong people and can cope with any challenge. Like our ancestors, we will solve any problem, the entire thousand-year history of our country speaks of this.” Putin drew applause when he reaffirmed his determination to continue the “special military operation” in Ukraine that has unleashed a barrage of Western economic sanctions.

Putin said the United States considered itself “God’s emissary on Earth”, and that Russia was taking its place in a new world order whose rules would be set by “strong and sovereign states”.

He called the campaign in Ukraine the action of a “sovereign country that has the right to defend its security”, and accused the West of “active military appropriation of Ukrainian territory”.

But he appeared to acknowledge the scale of destruction being wrought, while absolving Russian forces.

Shortly before Putin was due to begin speaking, the Kremlin said a “denial of service” cyber attack had disabled the Forum’s accreditation and admission systems, forcing him to delay the scheduled start by an hour.

Nato warns of long Ukraine war as battles in the east grind on

The war in Ukraine could last for years, the head of Nato said on Sunday, calling for steadfast support from Ukraine’s allies as Russian forces battle for territory in the country’s east.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said supplying state-of-the-art weaponry to Ukrainian troops would boost the chance of freeing its eastern region of Donbas from Russian control, Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported.

After failing to take the capital Kyiv early on in the war, Russian forces have focused efforts on trying to take complete control of the Donbas, parts of which were already held by Russian-backed separatists before the February 24 invasion.

“We must prepare for the fact that it could take years. We must not let up in supporting Ukraine,” Stoltenberg was quoted as saying (Reuters).