MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin assured that Russia will never turn its back on eastern Ukraine’s predominantly Russian-speaking region of Donbass.

During a meeting with editors-in-chief of Russian media outlets, fragments of which were aired on Sunday by the Rossiya-24 TV channel, the Russian leader recalled "people, especially children, who were wounded in Donbass." "We - and I say ‘we’ because you are the fourth power - have huge responsibility for Russia in general on our shoulders. And before making any decision, we must think about consequences of any step that we take," Putin told participants of the meeting.

"We will never turn our backs on Donbass, no matter what," he said.

Earlier, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin would publish certain fragments of the February 10 meeting, which was closed for the media. Among them will be a fragment with the president’s words on Donbass, he said.

Also, when asked on which conditions Russia was ready to incorporate Donbass, Peskov replied that this question has never been on the agenda, but Russia will continue to defend interests of the region’s Russian-speaking population.