Moscow will continue operations in Ukraine: Russia

Moscow has alleged that Russia is “forcing a resumption of military operations” in Ukraine after Kyiv rejected an offer to talks.

“President Vladimir Putin had ordered the operation to end on Friday. At the same time, Moscow invited Kyiv to sit at the negotiating table. But Kyiv did not respond to the call, prompting the Russian military to resume operations,” said Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered a military operation in Ukraine. Earlier in the day, he recognized the two eastern republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states.

Russia alleges that the operation was carried out in violation of the Minsk agreements signed by the Ukrainian government in 2014 and 2015 with militants active in eastern Ukraine. Putin has said he does not “want to occupy” Ukraine, however, wants to “demilitarize” the country.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that Moscow was ready for the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia and that necessary steps would be taken to “thwart the sanctions”.

Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s deputy head of the National Security Council and former president, has said that Russia’s military operation in Ukraine will continue until President Putin’s announced goals are achieved.