Russia's Putin accuses US of trying to build unipolar world

Russia's Putin accuses US of trying to build unipolar world

Sat May 9, 2015 1:7PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in the Immortal Regiment march during the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9, 2015. (AFP photo)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has used an address commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany to accuse the United States of attempting to dominate the world.
“We have seen attempts to create a unipolar world, we see gaining momentum as a force of bloc thinking,” Putin told foreign leaders, war veterans, and thousands of soldiers assembled on Moscow’s Red Square ahead of a major military parade on Saturday.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has repeatedly criticized the US for attempts at building a unipolar world.
With Putin’s address, began the Victory Day parade, with 16,000 marching soldiers and 194 units of advanced military hardware, including the Armata tank, on display.

Russian soldiers marching through Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2015 (AFP photo) 

The parade is the largest of such events since the end of World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, that claimed the lives of more than 24 million Russian civilians and soldiers.
US President Barack Obama has boycotted the festivities, as have the leaders of Britain and France; Russia’s other key allies during the war.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has likewise not attended the parade but will fly to Moscow on Sunday to meet Putin.
Ties between Washington and Moscow have reached an all-time low over the crisis in Ukraine, which began after pro-Western forces ousted the country’s president, Viktor Yanukovych, in February 2014.
Washington accuses Moscow of providing heavy weaponry and training pro-Russian fighters and of deploying air defense systems in eastern Ukraine.
Russia has denounced the accusations as “baseless” and says Washington is responsible for the crisis by sending arms in support of the Ukrainian army.
The US and Europe have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow, including visa bans and asset freezes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (2ndL) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (2ndR) arrive to attend the Victory Day military parade at Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, 2015. (AFP photo) 

Moscow has increasingly appeared to move away from Europe and focus more on developing relations with China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will be the most high-profile guest on the podium next to his Russian counterpart.
HRJ/HRJ