Ukraine conflict
Vladimir Putin: Russia’s interests are ‘non-negotiable’
“Our country is always open to direct and honest dialogue, to finding diplomatic solutions to the most complex problems,” Putin said.
© Mikhail Klimentyev / Pool Sputnik Kremlin / AP / DPA
Vladimir Putin has accused the West of ignoring Russian interests in the Ukraine conflict. One is ready for dialogue, said the head of state. At the same time, he announced that he would increase Russia’s combat potential.
The situation in the Ukraine conflict has simply not calmed down for two days. The fact that Russia’s head of state Vladimir Putin declared the two eastern separatist-controlled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent has dramatically intensified the conflict with the West. The EU, Great Britain, Germany and the USA announced sanctions. But that hardly interests the Russian ruler.
After escalating the Ukraine conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin described his country’s interests as “non-negotiable.” At the same time, the Kremlin boss said he was willing to look for “diplomatic solutions,” as he said in a video speech on Wednesday. “Our country is always open to direct and honest dialogue, to finding diplomatic solutions to the most complex problems,” Putin said.
Putin wants to significantly increase the “combat potential” of his “armed forces”
“Russia’s interests, the security of our citizens, are non-negotiable for us,” he added. He gave his speech on the occasion of Defender of the Fatherland Day, a public holiday in Russia. He praised the Russian army’s combat readiness and announced that Russia would continue to work on state-of-the-art weapon systems. These are “really the weapons of the future, which significantly increase the combat potential of our armed forces”.
Üutin accused the West of ignoring Russian security interests. Moscow’s calls for guarantees that one country’s security will not come at the expense of another have so far gone unanswered, Putin criticized. Among other things, Russia is demanding an end to the eastward expansion of NATO and, in particular, that neighboring Ukraine should not be included in the military alliance. In the West, on the other hand, Putin is seen as the main aggressor in the current escalation.