Free Republic

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the country was dismissed regarding its concern about NATO expansion. "We emphasized that the security of one nation or a group of nations cannot come at the expense of another's security. This principle is enshrined in international agreements that all parties have ratified," Putin said. "Yet, in practice, what transpired?" Putin continued. "One NATO expansion after another. We were consistently reassured, 'there's nothing to fear; it doesn't pose a threat to you.' When we expressed our concerns, asserting that we believed it did threaten us, what was the response? Nothing at all. We...

"The memorandums of the Russian Federation and Ukraine contradict each other, but this is not surprising," said Russian President Vladimir Putin, APA’s Moscow correspondent reports. Putin emphasized the importance of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, stating that it creates conditions for a substantive discussion of the core issues between Moscow and Kyiv. -snip- Putin stated that the draft memorandum on a settlement between Russia and Ukraine should be a subject of discussion during the third round of talks. He also emphasized that representatives from Russia and Ukraine remain in direct contact.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists on Friday that a meeting with his United States counterpart Donald Trump is "quite possible." "I'm always open to contact and meetings ... We would be happy to prepare for it," the Russian head of state asserted, calling Trump a "courageous man" and praising his efforts in relation to ending the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Putin once again criticized the Western countries for their behavior toward Russia, calling it "aggressive." He stressed that his country was "betrayed" by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as the alliance is expanding even though there were...