(Dan Tri) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has no plans to seize the city of Kharkov at this time but wants to create a security `buffer zone` in the border area with Ukraine.
Russian President Vladmir Putin (Photo: Reuters).
Speaking at the Harbin Institute of Technology during his visit to China, Russian President Vladmir Putin said on May 17 that Moscow has no plans to gain control of Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkov, at this time.
In recent days, Russia has launched attacks in the Kharkiv region and gained control of more than 10 villages in the area adjacent to the Russian border.
However, Russia has not yet attacked the deeper city of Kharkov.
Mr. Putin explained that Russia’s attacks on the Kharkiv region in recent days were aimed at creating a `buffer zone` on the Ukrainian border.
Mr. Putin accused Ukraine of being behind recent attacks on Russian regions bordering the two countries, including `shelling attacks on Belgorod`.
The Russian President said he had previously warned that Moscow would create a buffer zone on the border with Ukraine if the attacks continued.
Russia is launching an attack on Vovchansk and villages in the bordering Kharkov region, but has not yet attacked the city of Kharkov (Photo: BBC).
In March, President Putin talked about creating a buffer zone between Russia and Ukraine.
At that time, Mr. Putin said that an area considered a `buffer zone` would probably have to be large enough to prevent foreign-made weapons from attacking Russian territory.
Afterwards, political adviser to the president of Ukraine, Mr. Mykhailo Podolyak, criticized Mr. Putin’s idea, accusing it of being a clear sign that Moscow plans to increase tensions.
In his speech at the Harbin Institute of Technology, Mr. Putin emphasized that Moscow is always ready to negotiate with Ukraine, and the negotiations in Istanbul, Türkiye in 2022 are the foundation for these discussions.
He also said that the sanctions imposed by the US and its allies on Russia for launching a military campaign in Ukraine are harming the world economy, and the West itself.
`Western financial institutions are harming themselves with decisions to weaken the dollar,` he said.
In addition, the Russian President said that China has sincerely committed to support to find a solution to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused the US of `with its Cold War mentality, being directly responsible for the crisis happening in Ukraine`.
