Context of the Ukraine Conflict: "They rejected everything" - Putin (Full Speech - English)

In 2007, Putin announced that Russia would enhance its weapons capabilities to counter the advancements of the United States. This decision was made in response to the development of the US missile defense system, which was previously prohibited by international law.

The proximity of the NATO missile defense system to Russia's borders poses a significant threat to international security, although mainstream media may not report it.

In 2002, the US unilaterally withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM), which was signed in 1972 and prohibited both the US and the USSR from deploying national defenses against long-range ballistic missiles. The treaty aimed to prevent an offensive-defensive arms race between the superpowers. Before President George W. Bush's administration, the ABM Treaty was regarded as a cornerstone of strategic stability as it facilitated later agreements that reduced nuclear arsenals of the US and Russia.

The US assumed that Russia would never regain the strength to counter their hegemonic power and expanded NATO's objectives, encroaching on Russia's borders. Currently, there is no international legal instrument to prevent mutually assured destruction, and Putin has been issuing warnings for more than a decade that have been ignored.