Putin says he does not plan to ‘restore empire’
MOSCOW/KIEV: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that he does not plan to restore Russia’s empire, a day after he ordered Russian troops to be sent to eastern Ukraine and questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty.
“We predicted speculation that Russia plans to restore (its) empire within imperial borders,” Putin said at a meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in the Kremlin, adding: “This absolutely does not correspond with reality”.
He also said Russia respected the sovereignty of other ex-Soviet republics and that Moscow had made an exception with Ukraine because he said it was under foreign control, the TASS news agency reported.
Ukraine rejects what it says is a stream of propaganda out of Russia, which has built up forces near the border of its former Soviet neighbour and on Monday recognised two chunks of its territory as independent republics.
Ukraine may break off diplomatic relations with Russia after Moscow decided to recognise two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine as independent, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said at a briefing on Tuesday.
Speaking alongside his Estonian counterpart, Zelenskiy said he was weighing a request from his foreign ministry to break off ties.
He also urged Ukraine’s allies not to wait for a further escalation to impose sanctions.
“I’ve received a request from the foreign ministry. I will consider the issue of severing diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Immediately after our press conference, I will consider this issue,” Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskiy, who in his nighttime address to the nation accused Russia of destroying peace efforts, played down the prospect of a large-scale conflict with Russia but said he was prepared to introduce martial law if that happened.
“As for martial law... this question is clear to us. We believe that there will be no war, there will be no powerful (war) against Ukraine and there will be no wide escalation by the Russian Federation. If there is a (wide escalation), then martial law will be introduced,” he said.