Russian President Vladimir Putin, has said his country had no “ill intentions” towards Ukraine, hours after Russian soldiers captured Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. ayokinews.com reports
On Friday, Putin said on the state-controlled Rossiya 24 news station that neighboring nations should “think about how to restore relations.”
“I want to emphasize once again. We have no ill intentions towards our neighbors, and I would advise them not to escalate the situation, nor to introduce any restrictions,” he said, according to news agencies.
“All our actions, if they arise, always arise exclusively in response to unfriendly actions against Russia.”
“We do not see any need here to escalate the situation or worsen our relations,” Putin added.
Putin’s remarks came more than a week after he authorized an invasion of pro-western Ukraine, which resulted in many casualties and a rising refugee problem in Europe.
When the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station was purportedly attacked by Russian soldiers after they took control of the site on Friday, the international community was alarmed. Attacking a nuclear power facility, according to the US embassy in Ukraine, is a “war crime.”
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Putin attempted to shrug aside the impact of sanctions placed on his country as he spoke to commemorate the launch of a new ferry that would connect its exclave of Kaliningrad with the rest of Russia.
“We will just have to move some projects a little to the right, to acquire additional competencies,” he said. “In the end, we will even benefit from this because we will acquire additional competencies.”
Additional sanctions were imposed by US President Joe Biden, on eight members of Russia’s ruling elite (Oligarchs), and the US has teamed up with its European partners to prohibit several Russian banks from the international SWIFT payment system.
Foreign ministers met in Brussels on Friday to debate how to respond to Russia’s continued aggression in Ukraine.
UK Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, said she wants the international community to agree to limit Russian oil and gas exports.
Source: Rossiya 24
