Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that the world is currently in a state of change but all that is for the better and that the world is heading toward becoming a fairer place.

"Not only Russia is going through a significant change but the entire world is also changing. I believe that these changes are for the better," he said in a video address to a Russian youth movement congress.

"I hope that our acts and deeds and our determination, the sincerity of our plans, intentions, and principles will help make the world a fairer place," he added.

According to Putin, a fairer world would be one "where all peoples are truly equal, where everyone has the right to be respected, follow their traditions, speak their native language, honor their ancestors and have an opportunity for self-realization no matter their background."

World is changing for the better, we will be able to make planet where all nations are truly equal - Putin to participants of Russian Movement of Children and Youth. #NATO #RussianArmy pic.twitter.com/DY7hg5anO0

— Klaes Ashford (@ashford_klaes) December 18, 2022

On December 7, Putin said the threat of nuclear warfare is on the rise and that Russia is ready to employ all available resources to defend itself in the face of foreign threats, adding that some countries of the West regard Russia as "a second-rate country that simply has no rights to exist at all."

"When we are struck, we strike back," Putin said in reference to the policy of "retaliatory strike" - meaning that Russia's nuclear weapons serve as a tool of deterrence in the special military operation.

Yesterday, he said at a meeting at the operational headquarters that he is open to listening to proposals calling for immediate and medium-term solutions concerning the war in Ukraine. 

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