ST PETERSBURG (Sputnik) – Putin said that Russia cannot unilaterally implement Minsk agreements which should be implemented by Ukrainian authorities who don't abide by them.
"We continue hearing, ‘if Russia were to implement the Minsk agreements all would be well.’ Russia cannot implement the Minsk agreements unilaterally, we are ready to contribute to this, but we cannot do what the Kiev authorities have to do," Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
"Why all questions are only to Russia?!" Putin emphasized.
"Of course, there is nothing good about it," Putin said, adding that it would be an exaggeration to say that the sanctions were "deadly."
Speaking of sanctions against Russia, Putin said that "better this shouldn't have happened, it's time to stop it."
Western media outlets are silent on the issue of Ukraine blocking social media, Putin added.
"Now all Russian media outlets were shut, our performing artists are not allowed to enter, now they closed down social media. You, journalists, where is free information exchange? Who ensures it, including in Ukraine? Why is everyone silent about it? Why are all the demands addressed to Moscow?"
On May 16, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko approved the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to expand the list of sanctioned Russian individuals and legal entities. In particular, Ukraine has imposed sanctions on a number of Russian media and popular social networks such as VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, as well as Yandex and Mail.Ru IT company.
SPIEF, a major global platform for communication between business representatives and discussion of crucial economic issues, kicked off in Russia’s St. Petersburg on Thursday and will continue through Saturday. Sputnik News Agency is the official media partner of the forum.
