Moscow has offered to avoid bloodshed before launching a special operation in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the opening of a meeting on socio-economic assistance to the founding entities of the Russian Federation.
“I am saying for the first time that in order to avoid senseless bloodshed at the very beginning of the operation, the Kyiv’s authorities were offered through various channels not to take part in battles, but simply to withdraw troops from Donbas. They did not want to. Well, it is their decision,” the President said, adding that the operation is developing successfully in strict accordance with the previously approved plans.
“Kyiv's attack on the Crimea and Donbass was only a matter of time, Russia prevented it,” Putin said and emphasized that “the appearance of Russian troops near other Ukrainian cities is not connected with the occupation of Ukraine, Russia has no such goal.”
The President of the Russian Federation also stated that the threat of Ukraine to develop a nuclear weapon was real. “The special operation to demilitarize and denationalize Ukraine will be carried out to the end,” Putin said.
As for sanctions, according to the President, the policy of restraining and weakening Russia is a conscious, long-term strategy of the West, and everyone suffers from it.
“I want to note that the new package of sanctions and restrictions against us would be in case of any development. Our military operation in Ukraine was just a pretext for the next Western sanctions,” he said.
