Growing ambitions or tyranny: Putin invited the West to recognize Crimea as Russian, and Kyiv to abandon NATO

The situation around Ukraine can be resolved if the country is demilitarized and refuses to join NATO. This was stated on February 22 by Russian President Vladimir Putin, answering journalists' questions after a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. TASS.

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In fact, having presented the settlement program, the head of state stressed that Russia would provide military assistance to the “DPR” and “LPR”, but no one announced the dispatch of the military to the Donbass right now.

Putin's key statements:

Settlement around Ukraine

To resolve the situation, democratic countries must first of all recognize the decision of the inhabitants of the Crimean peninsula to reunite with Russia: “The first thing everyone needs to do is to recognize the will of the people who live in Sevastopol and Crimea.”

Moscow also proposes that Ukraine voluntarily refuse to join the North Atlantic Alliance: “We proceed from what many are saying, including in Western capitals, that the best solution to this issue would be for our colleagues [in the West] not to lose face, so that today's Kyiv authorities themselves refuse to join NATO. In essence, we would implement the idea of ​​neutrality.”

Russia demands that the West stop “pumping today’s Kyiv authorities with modern types of weapons”: “Therefore, the most important point is a certain degree of demilitarization of today’s Ukraine, since this is the only objectively controllable factor that can be observed and to which one can respond.”

On the subject: Russia evacuates its diplomats from Ukraine

Moscow cannot allow Kiev to return to nuclear status, as the Ukrainian authorities say: “Even the appearance of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine means a strategic threat for us.”

The fate of "Minsk"

After the recognition of the “DPR” and “LPR,” the Minsk agreements really no longer exist, but this is not Russia’s fault: “The Minsk agreements were killed long before yesterday’s recognition of the people’s republics of Donbass. And not by us, not by representatives of these republics, but by the current Kyiv authorities.”

Moscow itself was interested in implementing the agreements, one of the authors of which is Putin himself, “because it is the result of a compromise.”

Borders of Donbass

Russia recognized the “DPR” and “LPR” within the boundaries prescribed in their constitutions, that is, within the framework of “Donetsk and Lugansk regions at the time when they were part of Ukraine.” “But we expect, I want to emphasize this, that all controversial issues will be resolved during negotiations between the current Kyiv authorities and the leadership of these republics.”

Moscow will provide Donetsk and Lugansk with “appropriate, including military, assistance” - this clause is contained in the agreements concluded with them on February 21 and already ratified.

At the same time, the permission of the Federation Council to use armed forces abroad, issued on the evening of February 22, does not mean that the Russian military is heading to Donbass: “I did not say that the troops will go there right now after our meeting here.”

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Moscow’s further actions will depend “on the specific situation that develops on the ground,” while “it is generally impossible to predict any specific outline of possible actions.”

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• 'Russia demanded to close the way to NATO for Ukraine and Georgia, in the Alliance - they refused.
• Since December, Russia began to accumulate troops on the borders with Ukraine
• Putin warned about possible war with NATO over Crimea and accused the United States of trying to hinder the development of Russia.
• The situation is heating up. Russia removes its diplomats from Ukraine and sends troops to Belarus, allegedly for the sake of exercises, and the US Secretary of State is urgently going to Kiev.
• US suspends embassy in Ukraine and take diplomats out of the country, assuring Ukraine of its full support.
• But due to the aggravation of the crisis, the United States is transferring its embassy in Ukraine from Kiev to Lviv.
• US and Europe announce Russian provocations being prepared to attack Ukraine: propaganda body video.
• In the US, they believe that Russia may invade Ukraine in some moment.
• Putin after his address to the nation signed decrees on recognition independence of the 'LPR' and 'DPR' and friendship with them.
• Soon Russia sent its army to the east of Ukraine. The terrorists of the “LPR” demand that Kiev give it the entire Luhansk region.
• European countries and the United States reacted for Russian recognition of independence 'LPR' and 'DPR' - sanctions were introduced, the most significant from Germany.
• And Russia, after the ratification of the decrees on the recognition of the “DPR” and “LPR” and the world reaction, evacuates its diplomats from Ukraine.

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