Putin confirms that Russian nuclear forces are "completely" prepared and accuses Washington of "hypocrisy"

In his annual speech to the Russian Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that his country's strategic nuclear forces are in a state of "full readiness," and described American efforts to defeat Russia while claiming a desire for dialogue as "hypocrisy."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that his country's strategic nuclear forces are in a state of "full readiness," and accused the West of trying to drag Moscow into an arms race.

Putin stated in his annual speech to the Russian Federal Assembly: “We realize that the West is trying to drag us into an arms race, and accordingly, the country’s strategic nuclear forces are in a state of full readiness.”

He also announced plans to strengthen the armed forces in the west of the country after Sweden and Finland joined NATO.

The Russian President stressed that his country is ready for dialogue with the United States on issues of strategic stability, describing American efforts to defeat Russia while claiming a desire for dialogue as “hypocrisy.”

He continued his attack on Washington, saying that it "wants to show that it runs the world as it was before" and "practices demagoguery" before the US presidential elections scheduled for next November.

Putin said that the Russian army, which is making field gains in Ukraine, has strengthened its combat capabilities and is advancing "confidently" across various fronts in Ukraine, stressing that "the armed forces will not retreat, will not fail, and will not betray."

The Russian President addressed the controversial statements of his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, who spoke earlier this week about the possibility of sending Western forces to Ukraine, saying: “They (the Westerners) talked about the possibility of sending Western military units to Ukraine, but the consequences of these interventions will be tragic.” .

He added: "They must ultimately realize that we also have weapons capable of hitting targets on their soil. Everything the West creates creates a real risk of conflict using nuclear weapons, thus eliminating civilization."

In mid-February, Russian forces succeeded in controlling the town of Avdiivka on the eastern front and continued their advance in the region, which caused Putin relief.