<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Vladimir Putin has sharpened his vitriol towards the West as President Joe Biden, fresh from a visit to Kyiv, praised Western democracy for standing up to naked Russian aggression.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a week heavy with events ahead of Friday's anniversary of Russia's Ukraine invasion, Mr Putin spoke first.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The West had enabled Nazi Germany, he claimed, and had turned Ukraine into a neo-Nazi regime that was "anti-Russia".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hours later Mr Biden said autocrats understood only one word: "No, no, no!"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Putin thought the world would roll over, he was wrong," he said, vowing that Nato was more united than ever. Kyiv stood strong, proud, tall and free and Western support for Ukraine would not fail, he added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Welcoming him to Warsaw's royal castle, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that by travelling to Kyiv Mr Biden had shown the free world did not fear anything. Nato's role was to defend and support the free world and Ukraine "must win this war".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Putin's speech barely touched on the progress of Russia's military in Ukraine and there was no indication of how the war might end. The main news involving Russia's military came from Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who accused the chief of staff and defence minister of trying to destroy his group and starve it of weapons.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Russia's president did announce he was suspending the New Start nuclear arms control treaty signed with the US in 2010. The deal caps nuclear warhead numbers and Nato, and UK leaders have urged him to reconsider.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He also declared he had put new ground-based systems on combat duty. He had already threatened last year to use "all means at our disposal" to protect Russia and territory it has seized in Ukraine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Truth was an early casualty of Mr Putin's lengthy speech, at an exhibition centre a stone's throw from the Kremlin.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"They were the ones who started the war... we're using force to stop it," President Putin asserted in his address to both houses of Russia's parliament.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">No Western troops have been on the ground in Ukraine, but Russia's foreign ministry appeared to double down on the claim when it summoned US ambassador Lynne Tracy on Tuesday, saying that Washington should take steps to withdraw "US-Nato military and equipment" from Ukraine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Putin has blamed the West and Nato countless times in the past, and he reprised many of his claims from his TV address on the day of the invasion a year ago. He reminded Russians of the war in Iraq and the bombing of Belgrade, but steered clear of Russia's long and devastating role in the Syrian civil war, its invasion of neighbouring Georgia or landgrab in Crimea.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As he spoke there was a deadly reminder of the human cost of Europe's most deadly invasion since World War Two.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Six people died and many more were wounded as Russian shells hit Kherson city, liberated from Russian troops last November. A bus stop, a pharmacy and residential areas were hit in the city centre and local media said a kindergarten was among the buildings that came under attack.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In his nightly address on Tuesday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia's attacks "did not and could not have any military purpose", and were instead intended to sow "terror".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He added that Ukrainian forces were maintaining their positions on the front line in eastern Ukraine - where the bulk of the current fighting is taking place - despite facing great pressure. BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>