Vladimir Putin claims relations between the US and Russia are currently facing a ‘deep crisis’ during a national address.

Addressing an assortment of diplomats during a meeting of Russia’s Security Council, Putin announced the appointment of 17 new ambassadors, including fresh appointees to the US and throughout the EU.

During a rambling and unfocused speech, Putin claimed the ‘difficult situation’ in the world was preventing normal co-operation between countries, but said Russia was open to constructive partnerships with ‘every country.’

Russia would not isolate itself on the world stage, he added, and said he hoped that actions which cause harm to the country’s diplomatic relationships would soon come to an end.

However, Putin nevertheless took swipes at the West during his speech, and told the European Union’s ambassador that relations between Russia and the bloc had ‘seriously degraded’ and that the EU was responsible for initiating the current geopolitical crisis.

He also told new US ambassador Lynne Tracy that relations with Washington were in a ‘deep crisis’, and claimed that US support for the 2014 revolution in Ukraine had led to the current conflict.

Meanwhile, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said chaired a meeting in Brussels in which he stated that Ukraine’s future membership of the alliance had to be based on the country being independent and democratic, which is now challenged by Russia’s invasion.

Stoltenberg told a media briefing after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels that Ukrainian forces should have the highest possible level of interoperability with the alliance when the war ended.

He also claimed Russia’s announcement that it will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus shows that a Russia-China joint statement days earlier amounted to ’empty promises’.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement came just days after Russia and China jointly declared countries should not deploy nuclear weapons outside their borders, Stoltenberg told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

He said this showed such statements are ’empty promises and what we need to watch closely is what Russia is doing.’

Stoltenberg said NATO had not seen any signs so far that Russia was following through on Putin’s announcement.

However, Stoltenberg said Russia was becoming more and more dependent on China, partly of a result of international sanctions imposed on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.

‘Trade with China has become even more important for Russia,’ he said.

Also at his news conference, Stoltenberg reiterated his call for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested last Thursday in Russia.

‘This is about freedom of the press,’ he said.

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