Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia is trying to “stop the war” and stressed that “in an honest way, we are open to dialogue.”
“A year ago, we defended our historical territory in order to protect our country,” Putin said during an address to the nation and stressed that since 2014, “Donbass has been fighting and defending the right to live on its land and speak its language. Never gave up. “.
The Russian leader assured that Moscow was trying to negotiate with the West and with Kiev and assured that “Russia sincerely wants peace.” “We are fighting for our position, in today’s world we cannot have division. We must be together and forget about aggression,” he added.
Vladimir Putin said that Russia protects people’s lives, and the West accused only of wanting power. “The people of Ukraine are suffering at the hands of Kyiv,” he said.
The Russian President assured that Russia will achieve its goals in Ukraine “step by step”, calling the moment the country is going through “difficult”.
“In order to ensure the security of our country, to eliminate the threat posed by the neo-Nazi regime that arose in Ukraine after the 2014 coup d’état, it was decided to conduct a special military operation. Step by step, carefully and consistently, we will fulfill the tasks that are before us, ”Putin said in his message to the Federal Assembly in front of the chambers of parliament.