Putin says Russia will continue with tasks set out, pulls out of New START treaty

Far from signalling any openness to a ceasefire, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country was fighting for its "historic lands" in Ukraine and that Moscow would "fulfill the tasks set step-by-step, carefully and consistently".

Kyiv's US and European allies were trying to "transform a local conflict into a phase of global confrontation," he said.

“We understand this and will respond accordingly because in this case we’re talking about the existence of our country,” he said.

In a two-hour speech, Putin also announced Russia's decision to unilaterally withdraw from the so-called new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

However, the Russian leader said that nuclear weapons tests would not resume unless the US did so first.

The speech marked the first anniversary of Putin's decision to recognise the independence of Ukraine's two breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

He also said that godlessness and pedophilia had become the norm in the West.

Putin also outlined new benefits for veterans and their families, as well as for defence sector workers.

The speech came ahead of the expected unveiling of a Chinese peace plan on 24 February.

On 17 January, US elder statesman, Henry Kissinger, had outlined his vision for a possible negotiated end to the war.

In remarks to the World Economic Forum, Kissinger said "an end to the fighting" could happen once the pre-war line, which began on 24 February, was reached.

Washington should continue and even intensify its support of Ukraine, if needed, until such time as the ceasefire lines had been reached or accepted.

Kissinger also prioritised preventing an escalation of the war and avoiding it becoming a war against Russia, according to the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center's Russia Matters initiative.

"Destruction of Russia as a state [...] will open up the vast area of its 11 time zones to internal conflict and to outside intervention at the time when there are 15,000 and more nuclear weapons on its territory,” he said.

He was also in favour of eventually giving “Russia an opportunity to re-join an international system” and “opening to Russia,” but only if Russia “meets the required conditions” of peace.