Saed News: The President of Russia, referring to the end of the Ukraine conflict and relations with the West and the possibility of negotiations with Europe, provided explanations.
According to SAEDNEWS, citing the “Novosti” news agency, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, stated that Western politicians are seeking to continue confrontation with his country in order to justify their exorbitant costs.
Putin last night, Friday, at a press conference at the end of his official visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan, said: “Russia has never threatened European countries and does not do so. All the actions that they (Western politicians) take are only aimed at continuing confrontation with Russia and justifying exorbitant expenses from their countries’ budgets, expenses that are financed by reaching into the pockets of European taxpayers.”
The President of Russia added: “Russia has never had any aggressive intentions against European countries. The statements of European politicians that they are preparing for war with Russia are nonsense. These actions are apparently carried out under the pretext of Russian offensive plans against Western European countries, which is nothing but a lie, an obvious and shameless lie.”
Putin stated: “The tragedy that is currently unfolding in Ukraine is the result of the actions of Western countries and the outcome of their policies. It was exactly they who led the situation to a coup d’état in Kyiv in 2014.”
The President of Russia pointed out that the situation on the battlefield in the special military operation zone allows one to claim that the Ukraine conflict is approaching its end. Putin told reporters: “The situation on the battlefield is developing in such a way that allows us to say that things are approaching an end.”
At the same time, he emphasized that in conditions of military conflict, it is not possible to determine a specific time for its end.
The President of Russia noted that there are currently no negotiations on Ukraine, although some contacts between the two sides are still maintained. Putin said: “I do not hide the fact that discussions regarding the settlement of the Ukraine crisis have practically stopped and there are no negotiations in the real sense.”
He emphasized that Russia is ready to continue dialogue and has never refused it.
The President of Russia stated that Western countries deceived Russia by claiming that NATO would not expand even one step to the east.
Putin said: “This is their (the West’s) policy; from the very first step they deceived us and said there would never be any expansion and that NATO would supposedly not take even one step to the east.”
Referring to the fact that Western countries are trying to shift responsibility for the Ukraine conflict away from themselves, he added: “They were the cause of today’s tragedy and now they are trying to shift the blame and show that it is Russia that is acting aggressively. No, this is the result of their own policies.”
Vladimir Putin continued: “Previously we held negotiations in Minsk and signed the Minsk agreements. But now we understand that these agreements were only signed to buy time and arm Ukraine, not to resolve all existing problems peacefully, which is what we have always sought. We are still ready to achieve this goal.”
The President of Russia stated that the European Union must itself determine the person who will negotiate with the Russian side on Ukraine. In response to a journalist’s question about Europe’s inability to agree on a representative, he said: “Those in the European Union who say they must choose their own negotiator are right. We do not appoint a negotiator for them.”
Putin explained to journalists that Europe has not yet proposed anyone as a negotiator with Russia, and if such a proposal is made, Moscow will consider it. He added: “Choosing a negotiator is not our responsibility, but whether we meet with this or that Western European political figure is up to us. Of course, we are ready for it and have never refused negotiations.”
The President of Russia noted that Europe, including Germany, has suffered losses from the decision to abandon Russian energy carriers. Putin said at the press conference: “We built the Nord Stream pipelines and had already started using them. Was this bad for the German government and the German economy? Now that they have abandoned our energy carriers, has the situation improved? They are trying to obtain oil from Kazakhstan, but its transport still passes through our territory.”
Referring to attempts by European countries to revive certain arrangements, he added: “Gerhard Schröder, the former Chancellor of Germany, always acted in the interests of the German people, including during the implementation of the Nord Stream project.”
Putin continued that during his talks with Schröder there were often disagreements and misunderstandings, but both sides always tried to reach a compromise and ultimately succeeded, and this approach should serve as a model for current European leaders.
The President of Russia was in Kazakhstan on Thursday and Friday, and in addition to official meetings and bilateral talks, he also participated in the meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union in Astana.
