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Russia tolerated Donbass situation for eight years trying to negotiate — Putin

Instead of launching negotiations the army was enforced, Russian President said

ST. PETERSBURG, June 19. /TASS/. Russia has been trying for eight years to reach an agreement to resolve the situation in southeastern Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"People in [Ukraine’s] southeast refused to recognize this coup [in Kiev in 2014]," Putin said at a meeting with heads of leading international news agencies, organized by TASS. "However, instead of launching negotiations with them the army was enforced."

"We are not speaking about a five-day period. Attempts of the southeast Ukraine at that time to negotiate with the Kiev authorities, which originally came to power following a coup, lasted for eight years," he said.

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Foreign policy Ukraine Vladimir Putin

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