Putin Address Takes Swipe at U.S.-Led World Order – WSJ

Russian President Vladimir Putin s combative address Monday from the Kremlin was a nearly hourlong recitation of decades worth of historical grievances and an unmistakable challenge by Moscow to the post-Cold War international order dominated by the West.

The speech, ostensibly aimed at recognizing the independence of two breakaway statelets that Russia carved from Ukraine in 2014, outlined Mr. Putin s view that Ukraine was a historical accident that the U.S. has turned into a launchpad to attack Russia.

The United States and NATO have begun the shameless development of the territory of Ukraine as a theater of military operations, Mr. Putin said, seated at a desk flanked by Russian flags.

via www.wsj.com