Ukraine will not respond to Russian provocations, says president Voldymyr Zelenskiy
India Today
Ukrainian president Voldymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that his country would not respond to provocations and called reports of Ukraine shelling regions controlled by Moscow-backed separatists as "pure lies."
Reports that Ukraine has been shelling regions controlled by Moscow-backed separatists and inside the Russian border are "pure lies", Ukraine's president said on Saturday, adding that his country would not respond to provocations.
President Voldymyr Zelenskiy was addressing senior Western security officials at the annual Munich Security Conference amid reports of explosions inside Russian territory in Ukraine's east, and in breakaway regions of Ukraine.
"What was shown yesterday in the temporarily occupied territories, some shells allegedly flying from our side, some flying all the way to Rostov, these are pure lies," he said. "They are blowing up something on their side."
READ: Russia announces 'partial' withdrawal of troops from Ukrainian border, US remains sceptical | Top points
He urged Western countries not to wait for a possible Russian invasion to impose sanctions on Russia.
Russia, which has massed some 150,000 troops along Ukraine's eastern borders, has said that for its own long-term security it needs a commitment that Kyiv will never join the NATO military alliance.
But leaders of Western countries, which believe Russia is preparing a possible invasion of Ukraine, said Russia would face severe consequences if it attacked, warning Moscow against attempts to redraw Europe's borders.
