24 Feb 2022 13:24

Russia is not Ukraine's enemy - Volodin in a call for peace to Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainian people

MOSCOW. Feb 24 (Interfax) - State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has made a call for peace aimed at Verkhovna Rada deputies and the people of Ukraine.

"I am calling on Ukrainian citizens: we have always deemed you to be a fraternal people. The sole purpose of what our country is doing is to secure peace. We are asking you to step aside and do not take part in any mobilization campaigns proposed by the Kyiv authorities. They are not independent, all orders come from Washington and Brussels," Volodin said on Telegram on Thursday.

Volodin urged Ukrainians whose kin serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces to encourage them to lay down weapons. "The orders given by the Kyiv regime are criminal and serve the interests of NATO and the United States," he said.

In addition, Volodin asked Verkhovna Rada deputies to be reasonable and to demonstrate their will. "If you love your fatherland, you should do everything to make Ukraine a peaceful state. Many of you do not like the loss of sovereignty by your country and the presence of U.S. advisors in your ministries and agencies. Russia has never been an enemy of Ukraine," Volodin said.

Volodin criticized NATO's eastward enlargement and said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's declaration of a wish to have nuclear potential proved that the Russian fears were grounded. "Given that Washington and Brussels have rejected Russia's global security proposals and Kyiv has been refusing to honor the Minsk Agreements for eight years, de-militarization of Ukraine is the only option. This is the way to prevent a war in Europe. This is the only way to stop slaughter and a humanitarian catastrophe," he said.

State Duma deputies support the military operation in Donbas, which aims to protect the population of Ukraine, Volodin said.