Why Kremlin calls aggression against Ukraine war with collective West: UK intelligence analyzes

The UK Ministry of Defense reports.

On February 14, 2024, Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the ‘special military operation’ began as an operation against Ukraine, but over time it took the form of a war against the collective West, led by the United States.

“This is broadly consistent with a trend in Russian official rhetoric that seeks to excuse the length of the conflict, and scale of Russian losses through the depiction of the war as a direct conflict with the West,” the intelligence says.

At the same time, Peskov acknowledged that the ‘special military operation’ could last a little longer, but that it could not change the course of events.

“This forms part of the Russian official narrative almost certainly aimed at situating the domestic population for a long-term conflict and the associated decline in domestic living standards, while providing reassurance of ultimate Russian victory,” the statement says.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia is allegedly ready for a political and diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine, but “taking into account the realities on the ground.”