In his annual speech to parliament on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of playing a dirty game over Ukraine.

His speech, which included a plea for bolstering the armed forces and the wartime economy, set the tone for a sustained Russian attack.

The final remaining weapons control agreement between the world’s two major nuclear powers, Russia and the US, known as the New Start accord, will be suspended, Mr. Putin added, as a nuclear message to the West over Ukraine.

He declared that while he would not entirely renounce the treaty, he would not permit NATO nations to review Russia’s stockpile.

He claimed that the West provoked the conflict in Ukraine, accused it of “cynically cheating its people,” and stated that its ultimate goal was “limitless power” in a speech that lasted around an hour and 45 minutes.

He asserted that although western nations had prepared an “alternative scenario” behind Russia’s back, it was still Russia’s desire to resolve the situation in Ukraine amicably.

“We were doing everything we could to negotiate a peaceful resolution to this challenging situation, but behind our backs, a very different scenario was being prepared,” he stated.

On Tuesday, Mr. Putin accused NATO members of “playing a nasty game” with “repulsive lies and two-faced behavior” in remarks made before US President Joseph Biden was supposed to give a speech in Poland.

Mr. Putin vowed to “systematically” continue the offensive in Ukraine and claimed that the US and other western nations wanted “absolute influence” in international affairs.

In his remarks, he:

Said that he was giving the speech at a challenging time for the nation and a “watershed moment.”

Re-iterated the false claim that Russia was under “Nazi threat,” with “continuous threats and hatred” coming from the Kyiv administration; said that the West had been attempting to secede historical areas from our nation, “what is now called Ukraine,” since the 19th century.

Alleged that the Ukrainian people had turned into “hostages of the Kyiv regime” and its “western overlords”

Said that Moscow was resisting Western efforts to destroy Russia’s economy.

Claimed that Russia had all the necessary resources.

Nearly a year to the day after he ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, Mr. Putin made the comments in a speech to members of both chambers of parliament. This action precipitated the largest conflict with the West since the Cold War.

“We will resolve the issues facing Russia step by step, thoughtfully and consistently,” he stated.

The [people of the] Donbas had been battling since 2014 to protect their right to live in their own country and to speak their native tongue.

“Despite the blockade, ongoing shelling, and the Kyiv regime’s overt hate, they battled and did not give up. They thought and anticipated that Russia would save them.

Putin praised the “courage and resolve” of Russians in backing what Moscow refers to as a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

He stated: “In this regard, I am forced to declare today that Russia is suspending its participation in the strategic offensive armaments pact” after blaming the US and NATO for failing to cooperate over New Start.

The largest nuclear powers continue to be the US and Russia, both of which maintain sizable Cold War-era nuclear arsenals. They collectively house 90% of the world’s nuclear warheads.

The treaty, which was signed by President Barack Obama in 2010 during a time of improved relations, reduced the maximum number of nuclear warheads that each nation could deploy on heavy bombers, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles by almost 30%, to 1,550 warheads. By 2018, the central limitations were met by both sides.

Russian participation in the treaty has been suspended, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed disappointment and a call for Moscow to rethink.

Shortly after Mr. Putin’s address, Mr. Stoltenberg declared that Russia was the aggressor, along with Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine and Josep Borrell of the EU.

“President Putin is the one who launched this imperial campaign of conquest. Putin is gearing up for another conflict, as he made apparent today. Putin cannot triumph. It would be risky for both the global community and our own security, he declared.

The President of Ukraine’s top assistant claimed that Mr. Putin’s address demonstrated that “he has lost touch with reality.”

Political advisor Mykhailo Podolyak stated, “He is in a completely different reality, where there is no opportunity to engage a dialogue about justice and international law.”

On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it had summoned US Ambassador Lynne Tracy in response to what it described as Washington’s “aggressive conduct,” accusing it of deepening its involvement in the war in Ukraine.

According to the ministry, “the ambassador was informed in this regard that the current aggressive policy of the United States to escalate the conflict with Russia in all areas is counterproductive.

Also, it demanded an explanation from the US about the explosions that last year damaged the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.

A day after Mr. Biden made an unexpected trip to Kyiv to express his “unwavering” support for Ukraine, Mr. Putin gave his speech.

In Warsaw, Mr. Biden is speaking with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

During the visit, Mr. Biden pledged that the US would provide another $500 million in military aid to Ukraine and that this week would see the imposition of additional penalties against Russian individuals and companies.

According to the assistant to the Polish President on foreign issues, Mr. Biden and Mr. Duda will talk about ways to improve Poland’s security and bolster NATO’s presence there.