Putin Says US-Russia Ties In ‘Deep Crisis’, Blames Washington

(Bloomberg) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said relations between the US and Russia are “experiencing a deep crisis,” as he sought to blame Washington for his invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

American encouragement of “color revolutions” led to the war in Ukraine, Putin said Wednesday at a Kremlin ceremony to receive the credentials of 17 new foreign ambassadors including US envoy Lynne Tracy and the European Union's representative, Roland Galharague. Russia would continue to insist on “equality and respect for sovereignty” in relations, he said.

Putin also accused the EU of having chosen a policy of “confrontation with Russia.”

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The Kremlin leader made no reference to US warnings that he was preparing an invasion of Ukraine months before he ordered the February 2022 attack. Russian officials repeatedly denied that Moscow planned an attack that has turned into Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. 

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Putin has accused the US for years of stoking pro-democracy protests in neighboring former Soviet states, while denying that Russia meddled to prop up authoritarian regimes friendly to Moscow.

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