The fifth president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, responded to Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the repeated offer of political asylum in Russia, which he announced at a press conference following talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, February 8.
“Vladimir Vladimirovich [желаю] finally realize that we will figure it out ourselves, here in Ukraine. And the age-old Russian practice of dealing with Ukrainian politics and politicians has long ceased. This happened when I was elected president of Ukraine,” wrote the Ukrainian ex-president in the Telegram channel.
He added that the current head of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, “makes a gift to Putin” by pursuing the pro-European opposition. Instead of this and the persecution of Poroshenko himself, he recommended that Kiev “engage in protecting the country.”
Earlier, at a press conference after talks with Emmanuel Macron, Putin recalled that he had once offered political asylum to Poroshenko. Now the Russian leader repeated his words out of “humanitarian considerations.”
“By the way, at one time, when Mr. Poroshenko was still the president of Ukraine, I told him that if he had any difficulties in the future, Russia was ready to grant him political asylum. At that time, he was ironic about this issue a lot, but today I want to confirm my proposals,” Putin said.
The talks between Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron took place on Monday, February 7, in the Kremlin. The conversation between the two leaders lasted more than five hours. Putin and Macron began their conversation in the representative office of the first building of the Kremlin, and continued over a working lunch. The meeting ended around midnight, the presidents of Russia and France held a final press conference.
Meeting his French counterpart, President Putin noted that he had not met with Macron in person for two years, so many issues have accumulated that can and should be discussed in a direct format. The French leader noted that a dialogue with Russia is necessary as the only way to ensure real stability and security for the European continent.
After the meeting with the Russian President, the French leader intends to meet with Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev on February 8.
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.
