ປະທານາທິບໍດີ ຣັດເຊຍ ທ່ານ ວລາດິເມຍ ປູຕິນ ໄດ້ຮຽກຮ້ອງປະເທດຕາເວັນ ຕົກ ໃຫ້ການຄໍ້າປະ ກັນດ້ານຄວາມປອດໄພ ຕໍ່ ຣັດເຊຍ “ໃນທັນທີ” ທ່າມກາງຄວາມເຄັ່ງຕຶງທີ່ກຳລັງເພີ່ມຂຶ້ນ ທີ່ປະ ກອບມີການສົ່ງກອງທະຫານ ຣັດເຊຍ ໄປສູ່ ຢູເຄຣນ.
ໃນກອງປະຊຸມຖະແຫຼງຂ່າວປະຈຳປີຂອງທ່ານເມື່ອວັນທີ 23 ທັນວາ ວານນີ້, ທ່ານ ປູຕິນ ໄດ້ຕອບຄຳຖາມນັກຂ່າວຢ່າງໂມໂຫ ກ່ຽວກັບ ເຈຕະນາຂອງ ຣັດເຊຍ, ອະທິບາຍເຖິງສາເຫດຄວາມເສຍ ໃຈ ກ່ຽວກັບ ຢູເຄຣນ ແລະ ກ່ຽວກັບ ອົງການ NATO.
ທ່ານຍັງໄດ້ອ້າງເຖິງລາຍຊື່ຂອງການຮຽກຮ້ອງທີ່ບັນດາເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ ຣັດເຊຍ ໄດ້ເປີດເຜີຍຕໍ່ສາທາ ລະນະ ໃນຕົ້ນເດືອນນີ້ ທີ່ໄດ້ກາຍເປັນການປັບໂຄງສ້າງຄັ້ງໃຫຍ່ຂອງນະໂຍບາຍດ້ານການຮັກສາຄວາມປອດໄພ ຢູໂຣບ ແລະ NATO.
ທ່ານໄດ້ກ່າວໃນການຕອບຄຳຖາມຂອງນັກຂ່າວຈາກໂທລະພາບ Sky News ວ່າ “ເຈົ້າຄວນໃຫ້ການຄໍ້າປະກັນຕໍ່ພວກເຮົາ. ເຈົ້າ! ແລະ ໂດຍປາສະຈາກການເລື່ອນເວລາໃດໆ! ເຮັດດຽວນີ້!
ທ່ານ ປູຕິນ ໄດ້ກ່າວຢໍ້າຄຳຢືນຢັນ ຂອງວັງເຄຣັມລິນ ວ່າ ສະຫະລັດ ໄດ້ຕັ້ງລະບົບລູກສອນໄຟຢູ່ເຂດຊາຍແດນຂອງ ຣັດເຊຍ.
ທ່ານປາກົດວ່າໄດ້ອ້າງເຖິງລະບົບຕໍ່ຕ້ານລູກສອນໄຟ ແອກິສ ອາຊໍ (Aegis Ashore) ທີ່ ສະຫະລັດ ໄດ້ສົ່ງໄປໃຫ້ບັນດາພັນທະມິດອົງການ NATO ເຊັ່ນ ໂຣເມເນຍ ແລະ ໂປແລນ ໃນບໍ່ເທົ່າໃດປີທີ່ຜ່ານມາ. ວໍຊິງຕັນ ໄດ້ຢືນຢັນວ່າລະບົບດັ່ງກ່າວແມ່ນມີຄວາມຈຳເປັນທີ່ຈະປ້ອງກັນ ຢູໂຣບ ຕໍ່ໄພຂົ່ມຂູ່ຈາກລູກສອນໄຟຂອງ ອີຣ່ານ, ແລະ ບໍ່ມີປະສິດທິພາບຕໍ່ປືນໃຫຍ່ຂອງ ຣັດເຊຍ.
ທ່ານ ປູຕິນ ໄດ້ຕອບຕໍ່ອີກຄຳຖາມນຶ່ງວ່າ “ມັນແມ່ນພວກເຮົາຫວາຜູ້ທີ່ໄປຕັ້ງລູກສອນໄຟຢູ່ທາງຂ້າງເຂດຊາຍແດນຂອງ ສະຫະລັດ? ບໍ່ແມ່ນ, ມັນແມ່ນ ສະຫະ ລັດ ກັບລູກສອນໄຟຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າ ຜູ້ທີ່ໄດ້ມາບ້ານຂອງພວກເຮົາ ແລະ ມາຢູ່ໃກ້ບ້ານຂອງພວກເຮົາ. ມັນແມ່ນການຮຽກຮ້ອງທີ່ບໍ່ປົກກະຕິບໍ? ຢ່າຕັ້ງລະບົບໂຈມຕີໃກ້ບ້ານຂອງພວກເຮົາອີກ? ແມ່ນຫຍັງທີ່ຜິດປົກກະຕິ ກ່ຽວກັບ ມັນ?
ໃນການຕອບຄຳຖາມກ່ອນໜ້ານັ້ນ, ທ່ານ ປູຕິນ ປາກົດວ່າ ຈະໃຫ້ສັນຍານທີ່ເປັນແງ່ບວກ ກ່ຽວກັບ ຂໍ້ສະເໜີການເຈລະຈາທີ່ໃກ້ຈະມາເຖິງນີ້ ລະຫວ່າງ ຣັດເຊຍ, ສະຫະລັດ ແລະ ອາດເປັນໄປໄດ້ກັບບັນດາພັນທະມິດປະເທດຕາເວັນ ຕົກອື່ນໆ.
President Vladimir Putin has demanded that the West provide Russia with security guarantees “immediately” amid spiraling tensions involving a massive deployment of Russian troops toward Ukraine.
Speaking at his annual news conference on December 23, Putin responded testily to a reporter’s question about Russia’s intentions, listing off a litany of grievances about Ukraine and about NATO.
He also referred to a list of demands that Russian officials released publicly earlier this month that amounted to a major restructuring of European security and NATO's policies.
“You should give us guarantees. You! And without any delay! Now!” he said, responding to a question from a Sky News reporter.
Putin repeated past Kremlin assertions that the United States had placed missile systems on Russia’s border.
He appeared to be referring to the anti-missile Aegis Ashore systems that the United States has deployed to NATO allies Romania and Poland in recent years. Washington has insisted that the systems are needed to defend Europe against threats from Iran’s missiles, and are ineffective against Russia’s arsenal.
“Is it us who placed missiles next to the U.S. borders?” Putin said, responding to another question. “No. It is the U.S. with its missiles who came to our home and are on the threshold of our home….Is it an unusual demand? Do not place any more assault systems next to our home? What is unusual about it?”
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends his annual end-of-year news conference in Moscow, Dec. 23, 2021.
Responding to an earlier question, Putin appeared to give a positive signal regarding proposed upcoming talks between Russia, the United States, and possibly other Western allies.
U.S. and Russian diplomats are tentatively scheduled to meet for new talks, reportedly in Geneva, sometime after the New Year.
"We have so far seen a positive reaction,” he said. “Our U.S. partners told us that they are ready to begin this discussion, these talks, at the very start of next year.”
“I hope that’s how it will all play out,” he said.
The Russian demands, released publicly on December 17, call for prohibiting NATO from expanding further to the east and leaving Ukraine and several other countries as buffer states with limited sovereignty when it comes to military affairs.
FILE - This handout satellite image taken Nov. 1, 2021, and released by Maxar Technologies shows the presence of a large ground force deployment near Yelnya, Smolensk region, Russia, about 260 kilometers (160 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.
In recent weeks, the United States, NATO, and Kyiv have raised the alarm over around 100,000 Russian troops deployed near the border with Ukraine and in the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
U.S. officials have said Moscow is planning for a possible military offensive that, if it happens, could come within weeks.
The new military buildup has become the backdrop for Putin's push for the United States and NATO to give Russia sweeping "security guarantees" that would drastically alter the post-Cold War order in Europe.
Putin has said he does not want a war but has been adamant that if new fighting breaks out, it will be the fault of Kyiv and the West.
During the news conference, he also repeated past accusations against Ukraine, asserting that Kyiv was preparing a new military offensive in the eastern regions where war has been ongoing for more than 7 years now.
"Now they tell us, war, war, war. It seems they are preparing another operation [in Donbas] and are warning us not to get in the way, or there'll be sanctions," Putin said. He also accused the West of creating "anti-Russia" sentiment in Ukraine by arming it and "brainwashing the population."
FILE - A reservist of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces throws a dummy grenade towards an armored vehicle during military exercises at a training ground outside Kharkiv, Ukraine Dec. 11, 2021.
"We are doing our best to establish good-neighborly ties with Ukraine. But it is impossible to do so with the current leadership. People in Ukraine who want to work with us are facing pressure or even being killed,” he said.
The news conference is one of three carefully orchestrated, nationally televised public events that Putin holds almost every year, as part of an effort to showcase his dominance of Russia’s political life.
In past years, press conferences have gone more than three hours; the longest was last year, at 4 1/2 hours.
Because of pandemic restrictions, journalists were required to submit three negative PCR tests in order to enter the hall. Organizers also set up “disinfection tunnels” — a unproven technology that sprays individuals with a disinfectant as they walk through.
Earlier in the news conference, Putin extolled his government's efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and bolstering the country’s economic growth.
FILE - In this July 12, 2021, photo, a medical worker administers a shot of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Gostinny Dvor, a huge exhibition place in Moscow.
Like many countries, Russia has struggled to get its COVID-19 infections under control — an effort that has been hampered by widespread vaccine hesitancy.
Less than 50% of the country’s 146 million people have been fully vaccinated so far, even though Russia was the first in the world to approve and release a coronavirus vaccine a year ago. As of December 23, Russia has reported 10.2 million cases, and 300,000 deaths, according to the national coronavirus information center.
"After facing the coronavirus infection's challenges and the necessary restrictions caused by it in the economy, as well as in the social sphere, our economy, turned out to be more mobilized and better prepared for such shocks than the world's other developed economies,” he said.