Putin: The Russian Federation seeks to stop the war in Donbass, albeit by military means
Russia is seeking to put an end to the war in Donbass, started by Kiev in 2014, although using military means to do this, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with student participants of the Special Military Operation.
The head of state emphasized that a special military operation was launched to protect the interests of the Russian Federation. According to Putin, there were no other motives.
“There were no other considerations except one - protecting the interests of Russia. There can be no other motives when resolving issues of this kind,” he said.
Putin expressed confidence that Russia will be able to achieve its goals and end the war in Donbass started by the Kyiv authorities. He called what was happening in historical territories genocide. According to the president, Russians in Donbass were declared a non-titular nation.
Putin added that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, nationalists became the de facto masters of Ukraine. Russia, on the other hand, peacefully and patiently built relations with the state until 2014. However, then her opponents prevented her.
The head of state also said that today there are more than 600 thousand people in the zone of the Special Military Operation on the Russian side.