Playing the nuclear card...
LAKE SELIGER Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Friday
Russia's armed forces, backed by its nuclear arsenal, were ready to meet
any aggression, declaring at a pro-Kremlin youth camp that foreign
states should understand: "It's best not to mess with us."
Putin told the assembly, on the
banks of a lake near Moscow, the Russian takeover of Crimea in March was
essential to save a largely Russian-speaking population from Ukrainian
government violence.
He said
continued fighting in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists
launched an uprising in April, was the result of a refusal by Kiev to
negotiate.
Ukraine, and
Western governments, accuse Russia of sending troops and armor to back
the separatists in a conflict that has already killed over 2,000 people.
Russia denies the charge.
"Russia
is far from being involved in any large-scale conflicts," he said at
the camp on the banks of Lake Seliger."We don't want that and don't plan
on it. But naturally, we should always be ready to repel any aggression
towards Russia.
No comments:
Post a Comment