Putin: Russia will “never” back down.

In his New Year's speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that his country would “never” back down. Today in his New Year's speech, he said that Russia would “barely defend” its interests in 2023. He did not explicitly mention Ukraine.

He stressed in his televised speech: “We have proven many times that we are capable of solving the most difficult tasks and that we will never back down because no force can separate us.” Although he did not mention Ukraine directly, there were a number of allusions. He openly thanked the Russian soldiers, “our heroes.”

“Fiercely defending national interests”

But unlike last year, when the president appeared with uniformed military representatives at his side, this time he declared 2024 the “Year of the Family.” He stressed that Russia, which is going through a “historical stage,” will be “stronger” next year.

He said: In 2023, “we fiercely defended our national interests, freedom, security and values.” Last year, Putin stressed that “moral and historical justice” was on Russia's side.