Putin’s War of Words - NYTimes.com
Putin’s War of Words - NYTimes.com Thursday December 4 th , 2014 at 7:48 PM 1 Share Since Russia ’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March, President Vladimir V. Putin has used strong language to inspire nationalist support at home and encourage pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. Here are 10 recent examples. ‘True Sovereignty for Russia Is Absolutely Necessary for Survival’ - Dec. 4, 2014 In his state of the nation speech, Mr. Putin used the same aggrieved, angry tone he has often adopted in his public pronouncements since the Ukrainian crisis erupted in March. The West reacted to the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine by imposing sanctions, but Mr. Putin said those events were just a pretext. “This is not just a nervous reaction of the United States and its allies to our position with regards to events and the coup in Ukraine,” he said in his 70-minute speech. “If all that had not happened, they would have come up wi