Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, that he agrees with US President Donald Trump’s assessment that the war in Ukraine could have been avoided. “He said,” If I were president, this war would not have happened. “I agree with him, in a way,” Putin said in a meeting with international news agencies. According to Russian leader, Trump fights “honestly” for an agreement to end the conflict with Ukraine.
The Russian reaffirmed his version of the origins of the war. “Part of the territory of a country decided to separate from the main part. They had this right? Yes, according to international law and the UN letter,” he said. According to him, Russia tried to negotiate for eight years, but Kiev refused to fulfill Minsk’s agreements. “In the end, we made the decision to end this dispute – yes, with the use of our Armed Forces,” he said.
Putin also questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the end of the five -year constitutional term. According to him, “under conditions of martial law, the constitution of Ukraine extends only the powers of Parliament, not the President.” For the Russian, any peace negotiation will require a legal interlocutor with legal authority. “If the main figure is not legitimate, the whole system of power becomes illegitimate.”
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Regarding the war between Israel and Iran, Putin criticized the regime change in Tehran and suggested a negotiated exit. “It would be correct for everyone to seek together ways to end the fighting and guarantee both Iran’s interests in its peaceful atomic program and Israel’s safety,” he said.
Regarding China, Putin stressed the importance of economic and technological partnership between countries. “We have joint projects of over $ 200 billion. All realistic and will be implemented,” he said. He also praised Chinese advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and genetics, and said “Russia is not turning to Asia. This is a natural direction of growth.”
