23 December 2021, Thursday, 17:17 373

Putin Sees No Opportunity To Build Relations With Zelenskyy

Даша Зубкова

Russian President Vladimir Putin sees no opportunity to build relationships with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Russian head of state announced this at a final press conference on Thursday, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

“We want to build good-neighborly relations with Ukraine, and, as they say, at any cost, we go for practically everything. But how can we build relationships with today's leadership, taking into account what they are doing? We are ready to work with those forces that we wanted to build relations with Russia. What is happening with these forces? Extrajudicial killings, sanctions against their citizens, which is contrary to the Constitution of Ukraine, murders in the street," Putin said.

The Russian President also believes that Zelenskyy, instead of fulfilling the Minsk Agreements, fell under the influence of "radical elements."

"There are requirements in the Minsk Agreements to amend the Constitution (of Ukraine). Where are these amendments to the Constitution? Moreover, it says that they must be agreed with representatives of the LPR and DPR. Not only they not agree (the Ukrainian side), not only they not introduce any proposals for amendments to the Constitution, but refuse to talk with representatives of Donbas. Although when they signed these agreements, they themselves insisted that representatives of Donbas put their signatures under the document. Now they refuse to talk with them (representatives of L/DPR), they are declared terrorists ... Because instead of responding to people's demand for peace, President Zelenskyy came to power instead of fulfilling them (the Minsk Agreements), fell, like the previous leaders, under the influence of radical elements, as they say in Ukraine, the Nazis," emphasized Putin.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Putin noted the positive reaction of the United States to Russia's proposals on security guarantees; negotiations between the parties will begin in Geneva in early 2022.