Putin: Everything Started with Ukraine's Attempt to Alliance with the EU
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Kyiv's attempt to align with the European Union marked the initial phase of the current situation in Ukraine.
"Where did all this begin? It began when Ukraine stepped back or tried to join the EU. This was merely the first stage," Putin pointed out during an interview with journalists. At that time, with the possibility of cooperation between Ukraine and the EU on the table, European partners had discussed the idea of supplying European goods through Ukrainian territory to the Russian market.
Putin further explained that the difficulty lay in the differing phytosanitary standards: Russia's standards are significantly stricter, making it impossible for Moscow to allow EU goods to be transported through Ukraine.
Previously, Vladimir Putin had noted that Western politicians' lies about NATO not expanding eastward led to the conflict in Ukraine. The Russian president also added that those currently fighting against Russia are "globalist factions within Western elites," while Ukrainians are merely tools in their hands.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864771564248064/
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