Russian President Putin speaks out about the situation in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a quick return to normalcy in Ukraine during a phone call with key European Union (EU) leaders, while warning against further escalation of unrest in the country, the Kremlin said on February 28.

In a statement issued after Mr Putin held separate phone calls with British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Herman van Rompuy, the Kremlin said the Russian president had stressed “the extreme importance of not allowing further escalation of violence and the need to quickly return the situation to normal”.

On February 25, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) chaired a meeting of the National Security Council. Russia expressed deep concern about the rapid change of government in neighboring Ukraine (Source: AFP)

Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister's Office said that in a phone call with Mr. Cameron, President Putin reassured the British leader that he respected Ukraine's sovereignty and that the military exercises near the border with Ukraine had been planned in advance.

The two sides also agreed that “free and fair elections” are the best way to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.

Previously, on February 26, President Putin instructed the Ministry of Defense to conduct a surprise and comprehensive inspection of the combat readiness of units and forces in the western military district of the country, bordering Ukraine.

According to observers, Russia plays an important role in the situation in Ukraine not only because the majority of residents in the autonomous republic of Crimea in Ukraine are ethnic Russians, but also because under Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Russia agreed to provide the country with a $15 billion bailout as promised to Kiev in December 2013.

During a meeting with the security council on February 25, Mr. Putin said that he had to see who the new government in Kiev was before disbursing this money.

On February 27, Mr. Putin also ordered ministries to cooperate closely with the IMF to save the Ukrainian economy from collapse./.

According to VNA