Vladimir Putin Names US As Threat To Russia's National Security For First Time

A new appraisal names the U.S. as one of the threats to Russia’s national security for the first time, a sign of how relations with the West have deteriorated in recent years. The document, “About the Strategy of National Security of Russian Federation,” was signed by President Vladimir Putin on New Year’s Eve. It contends Russia has managed to heighten its role in solving global problems and international conflicts. That heightened role has caused a reaction by the West, it says. Relations between Russia and the West reached a low after Russian forces annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014, after protests in Ukraine forced its pro-Moscow president to flee to Russia. Since then, the West has accused Russia of aiding insurgents in Eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies actively assisting the rebels.