In a New Year’s address, President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia would advance with confidence in 2025 and that Russians should be “proud” of what the nation had accomplished during his 25-year rule.
On Tuesday, the three and a half minute message from Boris Yeltsin, who resigned unexpectedly on the last day of 1999, was delivered. It is exactly 25 years since Putin took office.
“And now, on the threshold of the New Year, we are thinking about the future. We have faith that everything will work out, and we only intend to advance. We know for sure that the absolute value for us was, is and will be the fate of Russia, the wellbeing of its citizens”, Putin said.
Putin, 72, paid tribute to Russian soldiers fighting in the war in Ukraine, describing them as heroes. “We are proud of your courage and bravery. We believe in you”, he said.
In your]Russian soldiers’ honor, he continued, “In honor of the 80th anniversary of the great victory and as a tribute to the memory of our ancestors who fought for the motherland at all times.”
With Russia steadily advanceing on the battlefield and US President-elect Donald Trump promising a quick ceasefire once in office, the address came at a crucial moment in the nearly three-year conflict.
Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari, reporting from Moscow, said the Russian president avoided discussing the war’s trajectory in his address.
“Despite Putin’s upbeat message, the mood here remains sombre. Many of you hope that the new year will bring an end to the conflict and war in Ukraine, as well as a better economic outlook for a country with unprecedented economic difficulties, she said.
In the first quarter of the twenty-first century, according to Putin, Russia had accomplished significant goals and overcomed difficulties.
“We still have a long way to go, but we can be proud of what has already been accomplished. This is our common heritage, a reliable foundation for further development. Our country – independent, free and strong – was able to respond to the most difficult challenges”, he said.
Millions of households watch the televised New Year’s Eve speech, which continues a tradition begun by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. It is a holiday staple in Russia.
Leave a Reply