Putin claims tanks and planes from foreign countries were in Ukraine in 2014

Putin stated that the Kremlin allegedly does not see "unfriendly countries," only "unfriendly elites in some countries." According to him, Russia has no problems with the peoples of "these countries," but there is "propaganda" and "brainwashing" at work there.

Putin also falsely claimed publicly that Russia allegedly did not start the war in Ukraine. He once again blamed "propaganda" for this.

"And they forget that they themselves started the war in 2014, when they began using tanks and aircraft against the civilian population of Donbas. That is when the war began," the Russian president said.

Putin, his statements, and prolonging the war

This is not the first time Putin has made statements designed for propagandists. After meeting with US President Donald Trump, Putin claimed that Russia was allegedly interested in ending the war but that "all root causes of the crisis must be eliminated."

However, the Kremlin is currently doing everything possible to prolong the war — in particular, to prevent a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin from taking place.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow would not accept any collective security guarantees without its participation. He emphasized that the Kremlin would demand veto power as well as the involvement of China.

In Kyiv, such a condition was called unacceptable. The White House openly mocked the proposal. The Russians also faced criticism from the European Union — EU Commissioner Andrius Kubilius ridiculed both Lavrov and Putin.

At the same time, Lavrov's statement that Russia, China, and the United States could serve as guarantor states for Ukraine's security effectively derailed Moscow's negotiations with Washington.