Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, “threatened” Ukraine with his claim regarding the further support of the Donbas occupation. This was stated during Putin’s press conference on December 17. The press conference was broadcasted on the NTV YouTube channel.
"There will be a settlement. The only question is when? It largely depends on the Ukrainian authorities. In turn, Russia will continue to support Donbas, as it always has. We will increase our support not only in the sphere of humanitarian assistance but we will also facilitate the direct cooperation with the region," Putin said.
According to the Russian leader, the Ukrainian authorities “lack that courage in order to unite the nation and the state”.
"Ukrainian authorities acquired the power with the slogan of country unification and unity. But nothing works. They rely on the majority of voters when they coming to power. But once they are in power, they begin to hesitate and look back at nationalists narratives. They lack courage. The same is happening with current authorities,” Putin stated.
Vladimir Putin also noted that during the negotiations in Paris both parties managed to agree on and declare the truce in Donbas, which is maintained now. At the same time, Putin complained that Kyiv "is not going to fulfil the Minsk agreements."
Reminding, that In Russia, military training is conducting on the maps of Ukraine. Cadets of the Missile Academy of the Russian Federation study a "conditional patrol" on "conditional" routes in Ukraine. In particular, their training routes reflect the map of Khmelnytsky region, nearby the town of Starokostiantyniv.