UPDATE - Russia responding "with restraint" to Ukrainian attacks: Putin

UPDATE - Russia responding "with restraint" to Ukrainian attacks: Putin

Russia's main goal is 'liberation' of Donbas, but 'operation' will not stop there, says Russian president

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By Ceyhun Alizade

ANKARA (AA) - Russia is responding with restraint to Ukrainian "terrorist attacks" and strikes on infrastructure, President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

Addressing a news conference following the sideline meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, he said the main goal of Russia's "special operation" is the liberation of Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

Russia is in no hurry and its operation will not stop, despite Ukrainian attempts to launch a counteroffensive, he said.

"Quite recently, the Russian Armed Forces launched a couple of sensitive strikes (in Ukraine). Let's assume this was just a warning. If the situation prevails, the response could be more serious," he added.

"We are not fighting with a full army. We fight only with a part of the Russian army, a contract-based part (only)," he said.

He underlined that Russia launched the war in Ukraine to prevent the creation of an "anti-Russian enclave" in Ukraine.

Putin also confirmed that Russia will take part in the G20 summit.

Russia's war on Ukraine on Feb. 24 has resulted in sanctions on Moscow from the EU, the UK and the US among other Western nations.


- Ukrainian grain

Putin said only 4.5% of Ukrainian grain shipped through the Black Sea ports went to the poorest countries.

In recent days, Russia has been pushing the signatories of the landmark Istanbul deal -- which paved the way for resuming the export of Ukrainian grain -- to widen the scope of the deal to include Russian goods.

Putin called “ugly” the EU's decision to lift the ban on the export of Russian fertilizers only to European countries, but not to the poorest states.

“Europe has created problems in the food markets, and now solves these problems at someone else's expense,” Putin said.

He alleged most of the grain exported from Ukraine belongs to the US companies that own land there.

Putin said he hopes the talks by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to lift restrictions on Russian products and fertilizer exports will succeed.

He said that Europe continues to keep Russian fertilizers in its ports, which Russia is ready to give away “free of charge to the poorest countries.”

“The former colonial powers of Europe are accustomed to living at the expense of others and still cannot get rid of this paradigm in their politics,” he said.

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