REUTERS
Putin addressed the Russian National Security Council urging the country not to count on the West changing its unfriendly stance, reminding of the upholding of international sanctions against the Kremlin.
“The latest developments show that we are not to count on changing of an unfriendly course by some of our geopolitical opponents in the foreseeable future,” Putin said.
“Besides, no one even tries to analyze the cause of what is happening now, say, in some parts of eastern Ukraine [Russia has occupied some areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions – UNIAN], why this mess had actually started, in the first place. I mean, those who impose all these restrictive measures against Russia, these so-called sanctions, they are in fact the ones to blame for the events we are witnessing today in southeastern Ukraine,” said the Russian president.
According to Vladimir Putin, Russia’s independent internal and foreign policy is the cause of current pressure. The president added that all key political forces and the Russian business elite “understand what is happening and know what to do.”