Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his bewilderment over the Ukrainian authorities' fears about the possibility of federalisation of the country and said that Russia will be bolstering its own federalization.
“Our Ukrainian partners are so afraid of federalization for some reason. It is their choice, of course, on no account will we meddle. But there are plenty of federal countries in the world,” Putin told the Seliger 2014 youth forum on Friday.
“The point is to allow people living in various territories who have significant idiosyncrasies, to allow them to live a full life,” the president said.
Federal systems exist in countries such as the United States, Brazil and Germany, he recalled.
Russia will be consolidating its institution of federalism, the president said. “I think we must consolidate federalism in our country,” he said.
