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Putin rules out apocalyptic war scenario in Ukraine

24 February 2015 10:31 (UTC +04:00)

Asked in an interview with Russian state television if he thought the current situation could lead to war, the Russian president said: “I think that such an apocalyptic scenario is unlikely and I hope that it will never happen.

The accord, between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, includes a ceasefire between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists and an agreement for both sides to pull back heavy weapons. Despite frequent violations of the ceasefire, Putin said there's no need for immediate action beyond the Minsk Agreement, such as more international peace talks or the formal recognition of rebel separatist groups like the People's Republic of Donetsk and the People's Republic of Lugansk.

Mr Putin said that if the Minsk agreement was implemented, eastern Ukraine would "gradually stabilize. "Europe is just as interested in that as Russia. No one needs a conflict, moreover an armed one, on the periphery of Europe. It was France and Germany who insisted that the authorities in Kyiv should give more autonomy to eastern Ukraine. If you paid attention to (the) Minsk protocol, which speaks of the decentralization of power, there is a footnote, that this implies. The authors of this footnote are our German and French partners. It speaks of their sincere desire to find the compromises that I just mentioned.

Commenting on Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's plans to regain Crimea, Putin said: "As regards the regaining of territories, these are such things of a revanchist nature, and whether some territories will be regained somewhere is not the point. Crimea will remain Russian, Ukrainian, Tatar, Greek, and German -- it will be a home to all these nations. With regard to its nationality, Crimean people made their choice, which we must respect."