Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two people martyred in the Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle in Toul.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli drone strikes vehicle in town of Toul, South Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen's EU delegate: Belgium categorically refused to touch Russian assets in its banks for fear of a Russian judicial backlash
Al Mayadeen's EU delegate: The European Union has failed to reach an agreement on the use of Russian assets frozen in Belgium
Trump: Will be seeing land action in Venezuela soon
Trump: first question to Xi will be fentanyl
Trump on reports of B1 bombers near Venezuela: Reports are not accurate
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The death toll from the airstrike that targeted the town of Arabsalim in South Lebanon has risen to two, in addition to four injuries
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: An Israeli airstrike targeted the town of Arabsalim
Putin on new sanctions against Russia: Russia's energy sector remains confident, though some losses are expected

Putin: Ukraine war a 'great tragedy' resulting from Western desires

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 14 Dec 2023 17:28
4 Min Read

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Russia and Ukraine, despite the hostilities, remain one people, making the 'great tragedy' in Ukraine nothing more than a 'civil war' funded by the West for geopolitical gains.

  • x
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin attends his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (AP)
    Russian President Vladimir Putin attends his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, December 14, 2023. (AP)

Normal relations between Ukraine and Russia have been made impossible in the post-2014 coup, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, stressing that Russia had attempted to establish them "at any cost," given that the people of Ukraine and Russia are one people despite all current hostilities.

Putin spoke during a live marathon presser, on Thursday, and responded to a series of questions among which was whether he perceived a possible normalization of ties between the West and Russia in the near future.

To that end, Putin explained that Russia had aimed to maintain good relations with as many nations as possible and has never intentionally ruined or severed ties with any, however, the West continuously tried to isolate Russia and neglect its national interests.

These Western plots culminated in the 2014 coup d'etat in Ukraine which he claimed was staged by Russia's geopolitical "opponents." 

Civil war between brothers

According to Putin the coup back then is what led to the current conflict which he considered to be a "great tragedy".

The war in Ukraine, said Putin, is a "civil war" between brothers, explaining that good relations between Moscow and southeast Ukraine are historic, and the leadership there has always tended to be pro-Russian.

However, "after the coup d’etat of 2014, it became clear to us that we would no longer be allowed, by force, to build any sort of normal relations with Ukraine," Putin said.

Related News

Kim Jong Un vows DPRK-Russia military alliance to ‘advance nonstop’

Putin responds to US sanctions, says Hungary summit likely postponed

Putin even reminded that the US, at the time, had publicly confessed to spending $5 billion to overthrow the Russian-friendly Ukrainian government and explained that such US interests came in parallel with NATO’s"uncontrollable desire to creep towards our borders".

NATO sought to achieve that by promising Ukraine a warm welcome to the bloc under specific circumstances thus triggering the 8-year-long bloodbath in Donbass. All this was crowned with the current tragedy in Ukraine, because otherwise, "how are we supposed to build relations with them?"

The Russian President noted that the West has continued to act as if it has no recollection of doing any of the things mentioned above, and only occasionally confessing that it signed the Minsk Accords with its fingers crossed behind its backs, hoping to "give Ukraine time."

Notably, Putin proclaimed that "[The West] has largely lost its sovereignty," and warned Western nations, that with the exception of Hungary, their decisions regarding the tragedy in Ukraine and their choice to isolate Russia continue to only hurt themselves.

Biden pledges another $200mln to Kiev despite Republican opposition

In a related context, US President Joe Biden has pledged to send an additional $200 million in aid to Ukraine, as discussed in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday. 

This comes after Congress Republicans blocked a bill to send military aid worth almost $60 billion to Kiev. Republicans are ever-more openly rejecting the need to fund Ukraine, saying that President Joe Biden needs to devote more attention to domestic security, particularly to stopping illegal migration over the US-Mexican border.

Conservatives insisted on linking their approval of the package for these close foreign allies to Democrats and the White House agreeing to comprehensive immigration reforms.

However, it is worth noting that Biden's allocation of $200 million in aid does not rely on Congress' approval, instead, the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) will be supplying Kiev with US stock weaponry for the 44th time since the war began. 

The package includes air defense system munition, ammo for high mobility artillery rocket systems, mine clearing equipment, tank ammo, additional artillery, missiles, anti-armor rockets, vehicles and water trailers, more than 12 million small arms ammunition and grenades, demolition munitions, and finally, spare parts for maintenance equipment.

Read more: Scholz accused of 'financial trickery' in plan for 2024 Ukraine aid

  • war in Ukraine
  • Ukraine
  • Russia
  • Vladimir Putin
  • Collective West
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

From previous scenes of the Qassam Brigades targeting an Israeli D9 bulldozer with a Yassin 105 shell, east of Deir al-Balah. (Military Media of the Qassam Brigades)

US knew fatal Rafah blast cause was not Hamas op., says journalist

  • Politics
  • 20 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • Today
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Palestinians walk through the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Gaza City, Thursday, October 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Politics

Unexploded ordnances in Gaza may take 30 yrs to clear, aid group says

Police stand guard before a press conference on the extradition of “Tren de Aragua” gang members from the United States, at the a high-security prison where they are being held in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, October 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Félix)
Politics

US immigration policies shaped by false 'Venezuela gang' threats

Demonstrators march at a protest opposing "Operation Midway Blitz" and the presence of ICE, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Chicago (AP)
Politics

HRW slams federal agents use of excessive force in Illinois protests

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with the Lebanese Prime Minister Nawwaf Salam ahead of a Cabinet meeting in the Presidential Palace, Baabda, Lebanon, October 23, 2025 (X/ @LBPresidency)
Politics

Lebanon OKs sea demarcation with Cyprus, restarts Block 8 exploration

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS