Putin accuses the West of backing threats of 'nuclear war,' provoking Ukraine conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the West in his Victory Day speech Monday at the Kremlin, claiming that the U.S. and other countries had propped up a "threat" on Russia's borders and had even supported threats of nuclear war against his country.

"Russia has always stood up for an international system of equality," Putin said, according to a translation from the German outlet Deutsche-Welle. "We have always tried to find compromise solutions… Other countries had completely different plans."

"They have tried to attack our historical territories like the Crimea. They have threatened to use nuclear war, and the West has supported these military actions carried out in our neighborhood and that is why it was a threat we couldn't accept," the Russian president added. He claimed there was a "threat to our border."

Russian soldiers tint their T-72 tanks on the eve of the Victory Day military parade which will take place at Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square on May 9 to celebrate 77 years after the victory in World War II in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, May 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)