Vladimir Putin has shared what he believes would be Ukraine's 'best decision' after he sent troops over the border.
The Russian leader commented on the ongoing situation at a news conference in Moscow this afternoon, February 22, where he claimed the Minsk agreements which were set up to avoid war in the Donbas region of Ukraine 'no longer exist'.
Putin earlier ordered troops into Luhansk and Donetsk, two rebel-held regions in eastern Ukraine, after recognising them as independent states.
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While addressing reporters, Putin claimed the 'best decision that Ukraine could take would be to renounce its Nato membership ambitions'.
The leader said Russia would provide military assistance to rebels in Donetsk and Luhansk, saying: 'If there is a conflict of course, if it is necessary, we will follow through on the obligations we took. We’re counting on resolution of all these differences. These differences will be sorted out between Kyiv, and Luhansk and Donetsk regions. But for the moment we understand that this is probably impossible in this current situation but we’re hoping for this in the future.'
Putin has also called on Ukraine to disarm, saying he is 'seriously concerned' about the threat of Ukraine developing nuclear weapons.
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He described an 'armed to the teeth Ukraine' as 'anti-Russia' and 'unacceptable', The Guardian reports, and claimed his concerns are based on recent remarks made by Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, who deplored Ukraine's decision to give up its nuclear arsenal in 1994. Putin said Zelensky's comments were 'targeted at Russia'.
Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has said Nato allies have more than 100 warplanes on high alert and more than 120 warships at sea and ready to respond.
Stoltenberg has said that 'every indication is that Russia is continuing to plan for a full-scale attack of Ukraine', adding: 'We see the ongoing military build up... We see that more and more of the forces are moving out of the camps and are in combat formations and ready to strike.
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'And we see the ongoing provocations in Donbas and the different false flag operations where they tried to create a pretext for an attack. And then of course we saw last night that further Russian troops moved into Donbas, into parts of Donetsk and Luhansk.'
The secretary general added that Nato is continuing to call on Russia to 'step back, to de-escalate, and to engage in good faith in diplomatic efforts to find a political solution.'
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Topics: Russia, Vladimir Putin, World News
Emily Brown