The territory of Ukraine is used by a number of countries to create threats against Russia. This was announced on Tuesday, February 22, by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.
As Putin added, in the process of recognizing the independence of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LPR and DPR), the Russian authorities foresaw speculation on the restoration of the Russian Empire.
“We see and foresaw speculation on this topic, that Russia is going to restore the empire within the imperial borders. This is absolutely not true,” Putin said.
On February 21, Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the LNR and the DNR. In addition, the Russian leader and heads of the republics Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin signed an agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance.
On February 22, the republics, the State Duma and the Federation Council ratified the agreements.
According to the signed documents, the Russian Foreign Ministry should establish diplomatic relations, and the Defense Ministry should ensure the maintenance of peace in the republics.
The Parties undertake to “provide favorable economic, financial and legal conditions for entrepreneurial and other economic activities, including the promotion and mutual protection of investments”, as well as to encourage in every possible way various forms of cooperation and direct relations between citizens.
The day before, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev pointed out that the Ukrainian authorities “intimidate” the people of Ukraine and force them to follow a policy related to the conduct of the conflict in the south-east of the country. According to Patrushev, the United States organized the conflict in Donbass.
Putin spoke the same day about NATO’s fault in the European security crisis.
As the President of the Russian Federation noted, the authorities of the Eastern European countries insisted on building up the potentials of collective defense against Russia, and also brought stereotypes and complexes about the Russian threat to the alliance. Due to the expansion of the alliance, trust between NATO countries has been undermined, Putin stressed.
Russian Ambassador to Poland Sergei Andreev a day earlier called the presence of NATO the cause of instability in the European Union. According to him, the build-up of foreign military presence on the territory of the countries of the “eastern flank” of NATO is unreasonable and dangerous for this part of Europe.
In recent days, the situation on the line of contact in Donbass has escalated significantly. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics reported heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces, including heavy weapons. General mobilization and evacuation of civilians in the Russian Federation were announced.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
