Maduro declares full support for Russian president

SANAA, Feb. 23 (YPA) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has expressed full support for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for recent actions and urged diplomatic solutions to the Ukrainian crisis.

“I declare my full support for Putin and everyone should resort to diplomacy,” Maduro said on Wednesday in response to recent actions on Ukraine.

Tension escalated in Donbass days ago, when Ukrainian forces and the Donetsk and Luhansk authorities exchanged accusations of violating the ceasefire agreement, and areas in Donbass province were subjected to artillery shelling.

Russia’s decision to recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk republics was met with Western sanctions, most notably Germany’s announcement to suspend the approval of the Northern Stream 2 pipeline to transport Russian gas to Europe through Germany.

The conflict in Donbass between the Ukrainian Government and the Donetsk and Luhansk republics has been going on since 2014, and negotiations under the Minsk Agreements, dedicated to a political solution to the conflict, were held by Normandy group leaders in February 2015.

However, the agreement has not yet been complied with and clashes continue at various times, and Moscow has repeatedly stated “Kiev does not abide by the Minsk agreements and delays negotiations to resolve the conflict.”

E.M