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Developments in eastern Ukraine

Kremlin refuses to comment on Poroshenko’s alleged ‘take Donbas’ offer to Putin

The Forbes reported on Monday that during a closed meeting, Putin told Russian business representatives that Poroshenko had invited him to "take Donbas" and make it part of Russia

Dmitry Peskov Ilya Pitalyov/TASS

Dmitry Peskov

© Ilya Pitalyov/TASS

MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. The Kremlin will not comment on media reports on the alleged conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko during which the Ukrainian leader invited Moscow to "take Donbas."

"I am not going to comment [on this information]," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Monday.

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Peskov explained that the Forbes’ Russian edition referred to a conversation that it said was held at a meeting behind closed doors and "it is not good at all that the participants of this event spoke about the content of their communication with the president."

"Let it be on their conscience whether they told the truth or a lie," Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman said in the article the Forbes stressed that "this was during the closed part of the session and we never comment on the closed parts of communication."

The Forbes reported on Monday that during the closed meeting with the board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), Putin told the business representatives that Poroshenko had invited him to "take Donbas" and make it part of Russia. The Russian leader’s answer was "no."

President Putin met with the board of the RSPP on March 19 shortly after the address at the congress of the union. The meeting was held behind closed doors.

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Vladimir Putin Eastern Ukraine Pyotr Poroshenko

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

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