Kyiv must cease fire, stop putting economic pressure on Donbas - Putin
MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - President Vladimir Putin said that Kyiv must immediately end the military operation in southeastern Ukraine and stop attempts to impose an economic siege on Donbas, which he said are the key conditions for stabilization in Ukraine.
"An immediate ceasefire and an end to the so-called counterterrorism operation, which is in fact a punitive operation being conducted in southeastern Ukraine, are one of the most essential conditions for stabilization," Putin said in an interview with the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram ahead of his visit to Cairo.
"Kyiv's attempts to put economic pressure on Donbas and to block its vital functions are only complicating the situation," he said.
"It is a dead-end path which can lead to a huge disaster," the Russian president said.