Putin dismisses responsibility for deaths in war against Ukraine
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has said he does not consider himself responsible for the deaths of people in Russia's war against Ukraine.
Source: Direct Line, a phone-in broadcast with Putin
Details: Speaking during a Kremlin-organised Direct Line broadcast, Putin responded to a journalist's question about whether he will be held accountable for deaths if he rejects peace proposals put forward by US President Donald Trump. Putin said that Russia did not start the war against Ukraine and said that "we do not consider ourselves responsible for the deaths of people".
He repeated Kremlin narratives about an alleged "coup" in Ukraine in 2014 and the failure to implement the Minsk agreements. Because of this, Putin said, Russia "has to use the armed forces to end that war that the Kyiv regime started with the support of Western countries".
Background:
- On 18 December, US President Donald Trump said that talks on ending the war in Ukraine are "getting close to something".
- Meanwhile, Putin has said that he does not currently see Ukraine's readiness to bring to an end the war Russia has started, since Kyiv does not want to discuss territories, but he has added that there are still "certain signals" of Ukraine's readiness for dialogue.
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