MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. The US decision to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine may aggravate the situation in the country’s southeast, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Interfax and Anadolu news agencies.
"Given the fact that the hostilities have ceased and cases of shelling are rare, it is unclear why the US Congress would adopt resolutions making it possible to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons," Putin said. "The question arises as to whether there is a desire to spark a war or provoke hostilities."
Now, when a ceasefire in the region has finally been established, it is important that the parties to the conflict start looking for the points of contact together so that they can move on towards their common goal," Putin said. "They need to learn to listen to each other and hear each other. Compromise solutions depend on this."
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Putin noted that Kiev’s policy may lead to the transformation of the situation in the Donbas region into a frozen conflict.
"The threat of Donbas turning into another frozen conflict is still there. It stems from Kiev's policy, which continues to strengthen the blockade of the Southeast and has stopped the supply of food and money there. Kiev has eliminated the banking system there and is blocking exports."
"Russia, for its part, continues to support Donbas, which is in a difficult humanitarian situation," the president said.
He recalled that since August 2014, more than 50,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid had been delivered there.
"First of all, we think about people that were abandoned by Kiev authorities and put to the brink of survival. It is our duty to provide them with the necessary assistance," Putin said.