Russian
President Vladimir Putin has expressed optimism that a political solution can
be found to the crisis in neighboring Ukraine. He also denied putting any
pressure on Ukraine to join a customs union with Russia.
The Russian president used his annual state-of-the-nation speech to address a wide range of issues of national interest, including the ongoing political standoff in Kyiv.
The Russian president used his annual state-of-the-nation speech to address a wide range of issues of national interest, including the ongoing political standoff in Kyiv.
"I
hope that all political powers in the country manage to reach an agreement that
is in the interests of the Ukrainian people and find a solution to all the
problems that have piled up," Putin said on Thursday.
Perhaps in
light of the fact that many have accused the Kremlin of exerting pressure on
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych not to sign an association agreement with
the European Union, Putin stressed Kyiv's right to self determination.
Specifically, he said the Kremlin was putting no pressure on Ukraine to join a
customs union with Russia.
"We
are not imposing anything on anyone, but if our [Ukrainian] friends want joint
work [on a customs union] we are ready for a continuation of that work at
expert level," Putin said. "Our integration project is based on equal
rights, on real economic interests."
Yanukovych
travelled to Sochi for talks with Putin last Friday, but officials on both
sides denied they had discussed the customs union, which currently includes
Kazakhstan and Belarus. Anti-government protesters in Kyiv were angered by the
talks, which came a week after Yanukovych balked at signing the EU accord.
No
'superpower' aspirations
In
Thursday's speech, Putin also denied that Russia was or was seeking to become a
superpower, saying that Moscow did not aspire to "global and regional
hegemony" or to "teach anyone how to live."
This statement
came in sharp contrast to a meeting with top army officers on Tuesday, in which
he ordered them to build up Russia's military might in the Arctic region.
The
president also used his state-of-the-union address to announce a package of
initiatives aimed at cracking down on Russian companies that avoid paying tax
by registering in foreign countries. He also said Russian-operated but
foreign-registered companies would be excluded on bidding on government
tenders.
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