https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/extracts-putins-speech-ukraine-2022-02-21/
MOSCOW, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Following are extracts from a televised speech on Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine: read more
ON DONBASS
“Those who embarked on the path of violence, bloodshed, lawlessness did not recognize and do not recognize any other solution to the Donbass issue, except for the military one. In this regard, I consider it necessary to take a long overdue decision to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic. I ask the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to support this decision, and then to ratify the treaties of friendship and mutual assistance with individual republics. These two documents will be prepared and signed in the very near future. And from those who seized and hold power in Kyiv, we demand an immediate cessation of hostilities.
“Otherwise, all responsibility for the possible continuation of the bloodshed will be entirely on the conscience of the regime ruling on the territory of Ukraine. Announcing the decisions taken today, I am confident in the support of the citizens of Russia. Of all the patriotic forces of the country.”
ON UKRAINE MEMBERSHIP OF NATO
“If Ukraine was to join NATO it would serve as a direct threat to the security of Russia.”
ON ORIGINS OF MODERN UKRAINE
“Modern Ukraine was entirely created by Russia, more precisely, Bolshevik, communist Russia. This process began immediately after the revolution of 1917…
“As a result of Bolshevik policy, Soviet Ukraine arose, which even today can with good reason be called ‘Vladimir Ilyich Lenin’s Ukraine’. He is its author and architect. This is fully confirmed by archive documents … And now grateful descendants have demolished monuments to Lenin in Ukraine. This is what they call decommunisation. Do you want decommunisation? Well, that suits us just fine. But it is unnecessary, as they say, to stop halfway. We are ready to show you what real decommunisation means for Ukraine.”
ON UKRAINIAN STATEHOOD
“Ukraine never had a tradition of genuine statehood.”
ON BREAK-UP OF USSR
“Russia assumed obligations to repay the entire Soviet debt in return for the newly independent states giving up part of their foreign assets. In 1994, such agreements were reached with Ukraine, but they were not ratified by Ukraine…
“(Ukraine) preferred to act in such a way that in relations with Russia they had all the rights and advantages, but did not bear any obligations…
“From the very first steps they began to build their statehood on the denial of everything that unites us. They tried to distort the consciousness, the historical memory of millions of people, entire generations living in Ukraine.”
ON NATO’S 2008 MEMBERSHIP PROMISE TO UKRAINE AND GEORGIA
“Many European allies of the United States already perfectly understood all the risks of such a prospect, but were forced to come to terms with the will of their senior partner. The Americans simply used them to carry out a pronounced anti-Russian policy. A number of member states of the alliance are still very skeptical about the appearance of Ukraine in NATO. At the same time, we are receiving a signal from some European capitals, saying what are you worried about, this will not happen literally tomorrow. Yes, in fact, our American partners are also talking about this. Well, we answer, if not tomorrow, so the day after tomorrow. What does this change in a historical perspective? Basically, nothing. Moreover, we know the position and words of the U.S. leadership that active hostilities in eastern Ukraine do not exclude the possibility of this country joining NATO if it can meet the criteria of the North Atlantic alliance and defeat corruption. At the same time, they try to convince us over and over again that NATO is a peace-loving and purely defensive alliance, saying that there are no threats to Russia. Again they propose that we take them at their word. But we know the real value of such words.”
ON THREATS TO RUSSIA
“We clearly understand that under such a scenario, the level of military threats to Russia will dramatically increase many times over. I pay special attention to the fact that the danger of a sudden strike against our country will increase many times over. Let me explain that U.S. strategic planning documents contain the possibility of a so-called preemptive strike against enemy missile systems. And who is the main enemy for the U.S. and NATO? We know that too. It’s Russia. In NATO documents, our country is officially and directly declared the main threat to North Atlantic security. And Ukraine will serve as a forward springboard for the strike. If our ancestors had heard about it, they probably would simply not have believed it. And today we don’t want to believe it, but it’s true.”
ON SANCTIONS
“They are trying to blackmail us again. They are threatening us again with sanctions, which, by the way, I think they will introduce anyway as Russia’s sovereignty strengthens and the power of our armed forces grows. And a pretext for another sanctions attack will always be found or fabricated. Regardless of the situation in Ukraine. There is only one goal – to restrain the development of Russia. And they will do it, as they did before. Even without any formal pretext at all. Just because we exist, and we will never compromise our sovereignty, national interests and our values. I want to say clearly and directly that in the current situation, when our proposals for an equal dialogue on fundamental issues have actually remained unanswered by the United States and NATO, when the level of threats to our country is increasing significantly, Russia has every right to take retaliatory measures to ensure its own security. That is exactly what we will do.”
Reporting by Moscow bureau, Editing by Tomasz Janowski, Jon Boyle and Grant McCool
//
“那些走上暴力、流血、無法無天道路的人不承認也不承認任何其他解決頓巴斯問題的辦法，除了軍事解決辦法。在這方面，我認為有必要立即做出早該做出的決定承認頓涅茨克人民共和國和盧甘斯克人民共和國的獨立和主權。我請求俄羅斯聯邦議會支持這一決定，然後批准與各個共和國的友好互助條約。這兩個文件將是在不久的將來準備並簽署。對於那些在基輔奪取並掌權的人，我們要求立即停止敵對行動。
“否則，對可能繼續流血的所有責任將完全由統治烏克蘭領土的政權的良心承擔。宣布今天做出的決定，我對俄羅斯公民的支持充滿信心。在所有愛國者中國家的力量。”
關於烏克蘭加入北約
“如果烏克蘭加入北約，將對俄羅斯的安全構成直接威脅。”
現代烏克蘭的起源
“現代烏克蘭完全是由俄羅斯創造的，更準確地說，是布爾什維克，共產主義俄羅斯。這個過程在 1917 年革命後立即開始……
“由於布爾什維克的政策，蘇維埃烏克蘭出現了，即使在今天也有充分的理由被稱為‘弗拉基米爾·伊里奇·列寧的烏克蘭’。他是它的作者和建築師。檔案文件充分證實了這一點……現在感激的後代已經在烏克蘭拆除列寧紀念碑。這就是他們所說的非共產化。你想要非共產化嗎？嗯，這很適合我們。但正如他們所說，沒有必要半途而廢。我們準備向你展示真正的非共產化意味著什麼為烏克蘭。”
關於烏克蘭國家
“烏克蘭從來沒有真正建國的傳統。”
關於蘇聯解體
“俄羅斯承擔了償還全部蘇聯債務的義務，以換取新獨立國家放棄部分外國資產。1994年，與烏克蘭達成了此類協議，但沒有得到烏克蘭的批准……
“（烏克蘭）傾向於採取這樣一種方式，即在與俄羅斯的關係中，他們擁有所有權利和優勢，但不承擔任何義務……
“從一開始，他們就開始在否認一切將我們團結在一起的東西的基礎上建立自己的國家地位。他們試圖扭曲生活在烏克蘭的數百萬人、整整幾代人的意識和歷史記憶。”
關於 2008 年北約對烏克蘭和格魯吉亞的成員承諾
烏克蘭東部的積極敵對行動不排除該國加入北約的可能性，如果它能夠滿足北大西洋聯盟的標準並擊敗腐敗。同時，他們一遍又一遍地試圖讓我們相信，北約是一個愛好和平的純粹防禦性聯盟，說對俄羅斯沒有威脅。他們再次建議我們相信他們的話。但我們知道這些話的真正價值。”
關於對俄羅斯的威脅
“我們清楚地知道，在這種情況下，對俄羅斯的軍事威脅水平將急劇增加數倍。我特別注意，突然襲擊我國的危險將增加數倍。讓我解釋一下美國的戰略規劃文件包含對敵方導彈系統進行所謂先發製人打擊的可能性。而美國和北約的主要敵人是誰？我們也知道。是俄羅斯。在北約文件中，我們的國家是正式和直接的宣布對北大西洋安全的主要威脅。烏克蘭將成為罷工的前進跳板。如果我們的祖先聽說過，他們可能根本不會相信。今天我們不想相信，但是這是真的。”
關於製裁
俄羅斯完全有權採取報復措施以確保自身安全。這正是我們將要做的。”
- 最新
- 最热
只看作者