Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun his state of the nation speech in Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian leader would focus on what Moscow refers to as its “special military operation” in Ukraine and Russia’s economy and social issues.

Many observers also expect the speech to address Russia’s frosty relations with the West.

Putin says Ukraine, the West ‘started the war’

Putin says Russia tried to settle the conflict in the Donbas region which had been simmering since early 2014 by peaceful means but was eventually forced to take action.

“We were doing everything possible to solve this problem peacefully, negotiating a peaceful way out of this difficult conflict, but behind our backs, a very different scenario was being prepared,” the Russian leader said.

Putin claimed that in February 2022, before Russia launched its invasion, “everything was prepared” by Ukraine’s government for punitive action in the Donbas, which lies in eastern Ukraine.

“I would like to repeat, they started the war, and we used force in order to stop it,”he said.

“Ukraine and Donbas have become a symbol of total lies,” Putin added. He also accused the West of withdrawing from “fundamental agreements” and expanding NATO eastwards to cover Russia “with an umbrella”.

ALJAZEERA