Russia had the right to recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and render military assistance, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday, TASS reports.
Putin mentioned the decision of the UN International Court of Justice on Kosovo, that in exercising the right to self-determination, the territory of a state is not obliged to apply for permission to declare its sovereignty to the country’s central authorities. He drew attention to the support for this decision by the UN court. "I personally read all commentaries - from legal, administrative, political agencies of the US, European countries. Everybody supported this," Putin stressed.
In a similar fashion, the republics of Donbass had the same right to declare their sovereignty, "since the precedent was set". "Right? Do you agree with this?" Putin asked Guterres, who answered that the UN did not recognize Kosovo. "But the court did recognize it," Putin parried. "If this precedent was set, the republics of Donbass could do the same," he went on to say, while Russia got the right to recognize them as independent states.
"Very many countries of the world did this, including our opponents in the West, in respect of Kosovo. That’s a fact that very many states of the West recognized it as an independent state. We did the same in respect of the republics of Donbass," he went on to say. "After we did this, they asked us to provide military assistance in respect of the state that was conducting military operations against them. And we had the right to do this, in full compliance with Article 51 of Chapter VII of the UN Charter," Putin stressed.
The Ukrainian forces are obliged to release all civilians from the premises of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, if there are any, Putin told Guterres.
Putin explained that the Azovstal plant was sealed off and no combat operations were underway there.
"True, we do hear the Ukrainian authorities say that there are civilians (in the Azovstal plant). But then the Ukrainian forces are obliged to let them go. Otherwise, they act the way terrorists do in many countries of the world, like the Islamic State (terrorist group outlawed in Russia - TASS) in Syria, by using the civilian population as a shield," Putin said. "To let these people go is a very simple thing. Nothing can be easier."
"You say, Russia’s humanitarian corridors do not work. Mr. Secretary-General, you have been misinformed: these corridors do function," Putin said. He stressed that as many as 130,000-140,000 people had left Mariupol with Russia’s assistance. "They are free to go where they wish. Some would like to move to Russia, and others to some other places in Ukraine. Anywhere! We do not hold them. They have our all-round assistance and support," Putin said.
"Those civilians who may be on the territory of the Azovstal steel plant - if any - are free to do the same. The example of civilized attitude to people is obvious," he stressed.
In the Russian president’s opinion, "using civilians as a human shield is nothing but crime."
