Russia’s interests are “non-negotiable”, President Putin issues statement after West imposes sanctions
Russia’s interests are “non-negotiable”, says President Putin in a statement on Wednesday.
The statement from the Russian President comes a day after the US and other western countries announced to impose sanctions in wake of Ukraine tensions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was ready to look for diplomatic solutions amid raging tensions with the West over Ukraine but stressed that the country’s interests were non-negotiable.
“Our country is always open for direct and honest dialogue, for the search for diplomatic solutions to the most complex problems,” Putin said in a video address marking the Defender of Fatherland Day, a public holiday in Russia.
“The interests of Russia, the security of our citizens, are non-negotiable for us,” he said.
It’s been weeks since the Western officials have been warning about the Russian leader has been preparing an all-out invasion of Ukraine.
Putin’s statement came a day after the parliament’s upper house, the Federation Council, gave him unanimous approval to deploy “peacekeepers” to two breakaway Ukrainian regions now recognized by Moscow as independent, and potentially into other parts of Ukraine.
