How did they justify this statement? A press release from Putin.

Effectively, yes.

The consortium just linked to the original story from Indian Punchline (the author's personal blog) where the author quoted the statement from a TASS article.

It's not hard hitting, factual news. It's an OpEd piece from a blogger.

If we wrapped Robert Parry's corpse with copper wire and surrounded his casket with magnets, we could probably power a small city with the electricity from him turning over in his grave at how far Consortium News has fallen in publishing articles like this.

Even in the absence of any other considerations, Russia can grind Ukraine down. The US needed an effective counteroffensive, because a war of attrition only benefits Russia. Unfortunately, that counteroffensive was an abject failure.

What are you asking? How can anyone believe that the USA and NATO are facing defeat in Ukraine? Is that your question?

Also, do you think the president of a massive country personally issues press releases?

This is, because it is not news but an opinion piece and reads more like a wishlist.

the looming defeat of the United States and NATO in the Ukraine War

Israel too will have to vacate its occupied territories and make space for a state of Palestine, which of course, will be a crushing defeat for the U.S. and marks the end of its global dominance.

an escalation by the Resistance is inevitable and Israel could suffer a “huge earthquake,” as Hezbollah is in a state of readiness to intervene.

Tehran will not be deterred by the deployment of two U.S. aircraft carriers and several warships and fighter jets off the shores of Israel

if the BRICS were to take a lead role at some point to navigate a Middle East peace process that is no longer the monopoly of the U.S. This is payback time for Russia.

The era of petrodollar is ending — and along with that, U.S. global hegemony. The emergent trends, therefore, go a long way to strengthen multipolarity in the world order.

A wishlist of somebody who thinks that.more power to dictatorships will somehwo mean more freedom in the world?