President Putin emphasizes that talks must be aimed at eliminating the root causes of the conflict.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his willingness to end the conflict in Ukraine through peaceful means and stressed that his country is prepared to halt military actions once Russia’s medium- and long-term security conditions are guaranteed.
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During his traditional annual marathon question-and-answer session with journalists, he underscored that Russia remains open to negotiations, provided they are based on clear principles and on the elimination of the root causes that gave rise to the crisis.
Putin said the conflict did not arise spontaneously, but instead originated with the 2014 coup d’etat in Ukraine, the rise of “Nazifascism” to power and repeated deceptions regarding a possible peaceful solution to the genocide of the Russian-speaking population in the Donbas region.
The Russian leader also said the Minsk agreements were never implemented by Ukraine and its Western backers. He added that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) deceived Russia by breaking its commitment not to expand eastward and by seeking to establish a bridgehead in Ukraine.
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Putin said no new “special military operations” would be carried out if the West treats Russia with respect and takes its interests into account. He recalled that when the situation reached a critical point in 2012, Russia proposed allowing populations in southeastern Ukraine to live in peace, without persecution, without Russophobia and without impositions stemming from an unconstitutional change of power. These proposals, however, were rejected by the Ukrainian government.
Putin also pointed out that Ukraine initially accepted the agreements reached during negotiations held in Istanbul. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later refused to comply with those agreements, revealing a lack of genuine willingness to end hostilities.
To reach a peaceful settlement, Russia has set out conditions including recognition of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Crimea, and Sevastopol as part of the Russian Federation; the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Russian territories; and Ukraine’s neutrality, nonalignment, denuclearization, demilitarization, and denazification.
Also on Friday, Putin said he is willing to guarantee security in the event presidential elections are called in Ukraine, but he ruled out a full ceasefire. “We are ready to think about how to guarantee security… at least to cease or refrain from carrying out strikes in the rear on election day,” he said.
#FromTheSouth News Bits | Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi as part of an official visit to discuss issues of mutual interest. pic.twitter.com/pBjPBTG0EY
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Sources: TASS – EFE – RT
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