Moscow: We are not currently considering sending our armed forces to the Donetsk and Lugansk republics

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the government of the country currently does not intend to send its armed forces to the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, but emphasized that Moscow is ready to assist militarily in case of a threat to them.

“This issue is ensured by agreements with the two republics,” Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said in a press release today Tuesday, in response to a question about Russia’s readiness to provide military assistance to Donetsk and Luhansk. a threat to them.

Answering a revealing question about whether this meant the possibility of direct hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, Rudenko said, “Let’s avoid guesswork. No one intends to bring anything anywhere at the moment.”

But the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia said: “If such a threat arises, we will of course provide assistance in accordance with the two agreements approved (by the Council of the Russian Federation).”

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed two decrees requiring Russia to recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics from Ukraine, amid the ongoing military-political crisis in the Donbass region since 2014.

Putin also signed two agreements of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with the presidents of Donetsk and Lugansk, Denis Pushilin and Denis Pasechnik, accordingly directing the Russian armed forces to “implement peacekeeping missions” on their territory.

In his speech on this occasion, Putin said, “The situation in Donbass has again become acute and dangerous,” considering that the people of the region were subjected to “genocide” by the “nationalist regime that seized power in Kiev.” He described it as “the 2014 coup,” and has repeatedly stressed that he has no intention of abiding by the Minsk agreements to resolve the conflict diplomatically.

Source: agencies