MOSCOW, June 14. /TASS/. The goals of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine are being adjusted in accordance with the situation, but have sustained no major changes so far, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with Russian military correspondents on Tuesday.
"They [the special operation’s goals] are changing in accordance with the current situation but of course overall we are not changing anything. Our goals are fundamental for us," he said.
Commenting on Russia’s actions, Putin said: "We will have to take two steps from the centre of the field." He reiterated that Russia wanted and still wants to have the best possible relations with all its neighbors, and, among other things, it "if not fed, but sustained" Ukraine’s economy with cheap energy and loans over decades, but "to no avail."
Addressing his interlocutors, Putin described them as "very seasoned professionals, especially people like you who have been under fire for more than a year."
"Your mentality changes. I know this from my own experience even though I haven’t crawled under flying bullets like you have. I have known this since the time I flew in a helicopter with tracer fire around us. You know, all this changes your mentality," he said.