Putin Accuses U.S. Of Prolonging Ukraine Conflict, Labels Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit ‘Planned Provocation’
ForbesSep 09, 2022
Day 174 Roundup: Putin Accuses US of Trying to Prolong Ukraine War, More Blasts Reported in Crimea
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Image copyright: Reuters [via Reuters]
The Facts
Speaking at an annual security conference on Tues., Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin accused the US of trying to prolong the war in Ukraine, claiming the country was using the people of Ukraine "as cannon fodder while running the anti-Russia project." He also alleged that Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan was a "thoroughly-planned provocation."
Meanwhile in Crimea - an area controlled by Russia since 2014 - fresh explosions were reported from the Black Sea peninsula on Tuesday. Russian media reported that an ammunition depot in the Dzhankoy region was struck, causing live rounds to detonate. Two civilians were reportedly injured. The news comes a week after blasts rocked the Saky air base on Aug. 9.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
Putin's tyrannical rant, and his cosying up to China, is no surprise given the Kremlin's disastrous miscalculation to invade Ukraine. Russia is as isolated as ever and Putin is desperately turning to other dictators for support – not only in China, but also in Iran and North Korea.
Pro-Russia narrative
America and the West are simply using Ukraine as a pawn to maintain their hegemony on the world stage. If they cared about human rights, why did they not speak out when Ukrainians carried out atrocities against Russian-speaking natives in the Donbas?
