According to him, the ex-president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia after the dignity revolution in 2014, did not refuse the country's entry into the European Union, but wanted this to happen on acceptable conditions.
“Ukraine was supposed to compare, put on the scales that it lost in contacts with us and what it acquired. President Yanukovych thought about it. He counted and tested because the opening of markets for highly competitive European products killed production in Ukraine itself and closed cooperative and trade relations with Russia,” Putin said.
He noted that Russia is not satisfied with the possible accession of Ukraine to NATO.
“As a result of the coup d'etat, they eliminated Yanukovych from the authorities, eliminated the man who was against Ukraine’s entry into NATO. They led the forces that were for the entry and now continue to rely on Ukraine’s entry into NATO,” Putin said.
