Sochi -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned against a military resolution of the conflict in southeastern Ukraine, since there is still a chance of the parties reaching a deal.
“The main thing that I would like to say, I would like everyone to hear it. If, God forbid, someone succumbs to the temptation and tries to use force to finally resolve this problem in southeastern Ukraine, they will finally drive the situation into a stalemate,” Putin told members of the Valdai International Discussion Club on Friday.
“In my view, there are still chances of reaching agreement,” the president said.
It is very difficult to work with representatives of the militia from southeastern Ukraine to make them fully comply with all agreements, he said.
“They continually cite failure by the authorities in Kyiv to comply with their agreements. But there is no other way,” Putin said.
Russia favors full compliance with peace accords by both sides, he said.
