Vladimir Putin challenges the West: ‘If they want to defeat us, let them try!’

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday challenged Western powers providing military support to Ukraine to engage Russian troops "on a battlefield," warning that the military offensive had not yet begun "in earnest."

"We hear nowadays that (Westerners) want to defeat us on a battlefield. What to tell them? Let them try!" the Russian leader said defiantly at a meeting with parliamentary groups in Moscow.

Putin further claimed that the West has misunderstood the concept of the Russian military offensive since, according to his version, its initiation "also means the beginning of a radical rupture of the world order."

"Todos deben saber que aún no hemos empezado en serio. Al mismo tiempo, no rechazamos mantener negociaciones de paz, pero quienes las rehúsan deben saber que les será más difícil llegar a un acuerdo con nosotros" más adelante, señaló Putin.

According to the Russian president, Russia's intervention in Ukraine marks the beginning of a shift towards a "multipolar world." In his opinion, the West, led by the United States, "has been extremely aggressive towards Russia for decades."

The president insisted that most countries do not want to follow the Western model of "totalitarian liberalism" or "hypocritical double standards" policies. 

"In most countries, people do not want that life or that future," he stressed.

His proposals to create a new security system in Europe have been rejected, as have his initiatives to address the threat of U.S. missile defense in Europe and NATO expansion, especially into former Soviet republics.

"And why is that? Because they simply don't need a country like Russia, that's why. That is why they supported terrorism, separatism in Russia, internal destructive forces and the ‘fifth column’ in our country. All of them received and receive unconditional support from this same collective West," he said.

#EsNoticia 🇷🇺 | Vladimir Putin desafía a Occidente: Si quieren derrotar a Rusia en una guerra, "que lo intenten" #7Jul

📹Video: @afpespanol
📲Detalles en https://t.co/q16M2L9qR9 pic.twitter.com/fse3m4h5PZ

— EVTV (@EVTVMiami) July 7, 2022