Russia's ambassador to Cyprus, Stanislav & nbsp; Osachi, stated in a statement today that Russia's plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territory, but the protection of civilians and Russian citizens in Donetsk and Lugansk. At the same time, in relation to the possible impact of Cyprus on sanctions against Russia, he estimated that the instability of the ruble in the foreign exchange market, caused by the new package of sanctions, will significantly increase the cost of tourist packages denominated in euros, which may to negatively affect the tourist traffic from Russia to Cyprus.
“Russia has been doing everything in the last eight years to ensure that the situation in Donbas is resolved peacefully within the framework of the Minsk agreements,” he said. But we see that the forces that came to power in Kiev in 2014 have finally abandoned the peace agreements at a formal level. “
” The United States and its European allies over the years have chosen to silence crime “of the Kiev regime in southeastern Ukraine, as well as the events of the actual genocide of the Russian population in the region,” he said.
Instead, the Russian ambassador added, “The United States and NATO countries have decided to fill the country with modern weapons, pushing it to war,” noting that “instead of preventing the use of force by the Kiev authorities in Donbas, “Washington has launched an unprecedented campaign of misinformation and demonization of Russia in order to shift responsibility for the tragic consequences of Ukraine's reckless game to Moscow.” >
“We can not and will not ignore this. “We simply have no choice but to protect our people from the measures we have taken today,” he said. “Subsequently, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, after the approval of the Federal Council of Russia and in implementation of the agreements of friendship and mutual assistance with the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, it was decided to launch a special military operation.” “Russia's plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territory, but we will not wait for the Kiev regime, with the support and tacit approval of the West, to organize it,” he said. a “bloodbath” in eastern Ukraine. “We will protect civilians in Donetsk and Lugansk, including the citizens of the Russian Federation living there,” he said.Regarding the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, Mr Osachi said: “It certainly exists and we can not thank it”, adding that ” a set of anti-sanctions measures in all areas of business and the economy, which allows us to mitigate the negative effects. “
Asked about the possible impact of the suspension of the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline on gas supplies from Russia, the Russian official said that “Gazprom will conscientiously fulfill, as in the past, all its obligations under long-term and spot contracts.” , while stressing that, as European companies are among the stakeholders and main beneficiaries of the Nord Stream 2 project, “ordinary consumers in twelve European countries will suffer, who will be forced to buy American liquefied natural gas at a much higher price. “And that is exactly what the United States has been trying to achieve.”
“In this situation, given the sharp increase in the military activity of the Ukrainian army on the line of contact, with massive bombardment of the territory of Donbass with heavy weapons in recent days, we took the only possible right decision to protect millions of civilians in Donetsk and Lugansk. “from their physical extermination,” he said. “The further fate of the disputed territories will have to be resolved during direct peace talks between the Kiev authorities and the leadership of these democracies,” he said. “Once again, our bilateral relations are being held hostage to the geopolitical games of others, the aim of which is to undermine the friendly relations between the two countries,” he said, adding that “instability of the ruble in the foreign exchange market, which was caused by the new package of sanctions, will significantly increase the cost of tourist packages denominated in euros, which may negatively affect the tourist movement from Russia to Cyprus. “
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