Putin Says Russia Has No Ill Intentions Towards Its Neighbours

On 24 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a special military operation in Ukraine meant to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" the country.

President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that Russia has no ill intentions towards its neighbours.

"There are no bad intentions towards our neighbours. And I would also advise them not to escalate the situation, not to introduce any restrictions. We fulfill all our obligations and will continue to fulfill them", Putin said in televised remarks on Friday.

Referring to the ongoing Russian special operation in Ukraine, Putin stressed that Russia only responds to "negative actions by other countries".

"All our actions, if they arise, they always arise solely in response to some unfriendly actions against the Russian Federation. I think that everyone should think about how to normalise relations, and cooperate normally", Putin emphasised.

In an apparent nod to the impact of sanctions imposed by the US and its Western allies over the Russian operation, he pledged that Moscow would fulfill its economic obligations to other states.

"If someone is unwilling to cooperate with Russia, it will not stop us from resolving our tasks. We will win because we will obtain new expertise", the Russian president said.

Puitn made the remarks as he took part in an online flag-raising ceremony for the Marshal Rokossovsky ferry in northern Russia.

Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine

On 24 February, Russia began a special operation to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" Ukraine, responding to calls for help from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) in countering increasing shelling by Ukrainian troops.

The Russian Defence Ministry said the special operation is only targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure and that the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.

In response, the United States, the United Kingdom, members of the European Union, and several other countries imposed comprehensive sanctions against Russia. Some of them closed their airspace to all Russian flights, sanctioned a number of Russian banks and officials. They are also seeking to disconnect Russia from SWIFT, and the international payment system confirmed that it would obey the law on sanctions once it gets the legal order.