Russian Duma President Justifies Ukraine Invasion in Managua
Vyacheslav Volodin assured Daniel Ortega’s deputies that Russia’s attack has the intention of “preventing a large-scale war.”
By EFE (Confidencial)
HAVANA TIMES – The president Russia’s Duma — lower chamber of the parliament —, Vyacheslav Volodin, said Thursday in Managua that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has the intention of “preventing a large-scale war,” and downplayed the sanctions imposed by the United States after the military operation.
“The decision of our president Vladimir Putin to carry out the peace-keeping operation is intended to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and also prevent a large-scale war,” Volodin said through a translator from Nicaragua’s National Assembly, which held a special session in his honor.
“The population of Ukraine does not have to fear the peace-keeping operation, because it is aimed at demilitarization, only,” he added.
The head of the Russian Duma stated that “Ukraine can become an independent, democratic and peaceful state, and it has to free itself from the ultra-nationalist ideology aimed against the people to develop in the interests of its people.”
Also, Volodin said that NATO “does not have to solve” security issues in Ukraine, and that “the United States has to stop.”
“Washington wants to stop the development of our states and they believe that sanctions will make us weaker, but they will not get away with it,” uttered the Duma president, who emphasized that “the road to freedom is very difficult” and that they “know what the prize is to conquer sovereignty.”
He thanked Ortega for his support
Volodin thanked Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega, for being one of the first leaders to back Russia in unilaterally recognizing the pro-Russian separatist territories of Donetsk and Lugansk (eastern Ukraine), including Russian military support.
“We thank the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, who was one of the first to declare the importance of recognizing the independence of the people’s regions of Donbas in order to ensure the security of the people,” he said.
He stressed that “Nicaragua is one of Russia’s solid partners” and that the two countries strengthen their relations on the basis of mutual respect, trust and “guided by the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states.”
He underlined that Putin and Ortega have decided to “expand our strategic cooperation in all spheres.”
He also thanked Nicaragua for supporting the annexation of Crimea to Russia and for joining Moscow in recognizing the independence of the Georgian separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The special legislative session was attended by Laureano Ortega Murillo, son of president Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.