Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke this Thursday (3) at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum, held in the Russian city of Vladivostok, which takes place between September 1st and 4th. He spoke about the current situation of the war in Ukraine, rejecting rumors of a new call for troops.
According to the Russian head of state, “there is a chance of resolving the conflict in Ukraine“, but, according to him, peace initiatives are complicated by “state terrorism” on the part of Ukraine and its Western allies, referring to threats by President Volodymyr Zelensky to “block Russian airspace” through drone attacks.
“Attacks against civilian and […] threats of attacks on civilian aircraft. This, of course, is a manifestation of state terrorism. And this, without a doubt, complicates the possibility of holding bilateral peace negotiations”, he added.
Putin also highlighted that Russia and Ukraine need to reach an agreement between themselves, and other countries can only support and provide assistance.
“Russia and Ukraine need to reach an agreement between themselves, first of all. And all other countries are ready to support and provide assistance. And not only the United States, but also the countries present here. We are grateful to everyone who is trying to contribute to the resolution of this issue. Is there a chance? In my opinion, yes, there is,” he said.
The Russian president also said that contacts between Moscow and Kiev continue, mainly through intelligence services.
“It is difficult for me to say now to what extent they [os contatos] are leading to a peace agreement, given the statements we have recently heard from senior Ukrainian officials. But contacts exist and continue continuously, mainly through intelligence services”, he clarified.
Likewise, Putin stated that Russia’s contacts with the US government continue and said he hoped for a restoration of relations between Moscow and Washington. “We support the complete restoration of relations with the United States, but that doesn’t just depend on us; it also depends on the Americans,” he added.
Putin again rejects rumors of ‘mobilization’
The Russian president once again commented on speculation that the country was preparing a new wave of recruiting civilians to fight in the war in Ukraine.
Last Wednesday (2), Putin spoke for the first time about rumors that, according to a series of media publications, could happen after the parliamentary elections of the State Duma (lower house of the Russian Parliament) in September.
When commenting on the topic again this Thursday, Putin said that “there is no scenario that justifies a mobilization” and that it is an “information operation” to destabilize the course of the war.
“There is no scenario today that justifies mobilization. This is an information attack by the enemy on the eve of the State Duma elections, an attempt to influence the result. It is simply a planned information operation”, added the Russian president.
Russia announced the first wave of a civilian mobilization for the conflict on September 21, 2022. The decree on what the Kremlin called at the time a “partial mobilization” was not revoked and remains in force.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
