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Russia threatens Ukraine to blackmail the West.
This opinion was expressed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview to the Italian newspaper ‘La Repubblica’, the Office of the President reports.
“What are the troops gathered near our border used for? This is the potential for blackmail. And first of all against the western states. But if the number of Russian troops grows, blackmail will become even more severe, which can be called preparation for the expansion of aggression against our state and, perhaps, the region as a whole” – he said.
According to the head of state, Ukraine sees no surprises in what is happening on its eastern borders.
«Russia started this war in 2014, and since then we have been ready for any scenario. Unfortunately, this cannot be said of all European countries. For example, Germany has recently prevented us from receiving anti-drone rifles and anti-sniper systems, which are exclusively defense tools, from NATO. Are we not entitled to them in the eighth year of the war? Obviously we are. Any democracy that protects itself from aggression should have the right to acquire such defense instruments. But in some capitals, fear still prevails” – Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.
Earlier Ukraine’s defense minister Reznikov said that the strategy “not to provoke Russia” will not work.
