Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Moscow, SANA- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Kiev is being armed by Western allies, according to Moscow’s information, but insisted he was optimistic about implementing the Minsk agreement, noting that the intensity of fighting has declined.
“According to our data, weapons are already being supplied to Kiev,” RT quoted the President Putin as saying at a press conference following his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“This is not surprising. I am convinced that whoever is supplying the weapons, the number of victims may grow, but the outcome will not change. The vast majority of soldiers serving in the Ukrainian army have no motivation to participate in an internecine conflict away from home, while the Donbass militia has every reason to defend their families.”
On February 12, a ceasefire agreement was reached after marathon talks at “Normandy Four Summit” in Minsk between Presidents of Russia Vladimir Putin, France Francois Hollande, Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Putin urged the Ukrainian government not to prevent the soldiers in the Debaltsevo cauldron from surrendering, or at least not punish those who simply want to save their lives, Putin said, adding “Our mission is to save the lives of those caught in the cauldron, and to make sure that the situation does not inflame relations between Kiev and the rebels further,”
Nonetheless, Putin repeatedly emphasized that the situation was “more or less quiet” elsewhere on the front, and said that he was “more of an optimist than a pessimist” about the implementation of the Minsk agreement.
“It’s extremely important that the authorities in Kiev have agreed to carry out a deep constitutional reform, to satisfy a desire for self-rule in certain regions. This is the deeper meaning of the Minsk accords.” He said.
On Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council adopted unanimously a Russian-drafted resolution to support the Minsk agreements. The resolution calls for a “total ceasefire” and a “political solution” that respects the “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
Barry Temmo
