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Putin: At the beginning of the operation we asked Kyiv to withdraw from Donbas, but they refused

"The presence of our troops near Kyiv does not mean that we want to occupy Ukraine"

Newsroom March 16 05:00

A revelation to “justify” the generalization of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was made by Vladimir Putin, during his statements on the economic situation in the country.

“I want to say this for the first time: at the beginning of our operation in Donbas, the Kiev authorities, through various channels, in order to prevent unreasonable bloodshed, were called upon not to engage in hostilities, but simply to withdraw their troops from Donbas. They did not want to. Well, that was their decision”, said the Russian head of state.

Referring to the development of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Putin said: “The operation is going well. In strict accordance with the approved plans. The presence of our troops near Kyiv does not mean that we want to occupy Ukraine”, Putin said.

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Commenting on Western sanctions, Putin said: “The West is acting on a long-term plan, as it does not want a strong and sovereign Russia. Their moves are predetermined and they want to ‘freeze’ our reserves”.

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