Putin says deaths in Gaza as shocking as those in Ukraine

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said the deaths in Gaza are as shocking as those that are occurring in Ukraine.

“I understand that this war (in Ukraine) cannot but shock me. Isn’t the bloody coup in Ukraine in 2014, followed by the war of the Kyiv regime against its people in Donbas, shocking? Isn’t the extermination of the civilian population in Palestine and the Gaza Strip shocking today?” Putin said in a live address at the virtual G-20 leaders' summit.

Putin said what is happening in Ukraine is a tragedy, and they must look for ways to stop it. “Yes, of course, military action is always a tragedy. Specific people, specific families, and the country as a whole. And, of course, we must think about how to stop this tragedy."

He said it was Ukraine that refused to negotiate and closed the way for dialogue, whereas Moscow was always ready to take such a step.

Arguing that Moscow is trying to achieve justice in Ukraine, Putin said the stress in the global economy is not because of Russia, but due to the actions of other countries.

Russia says it launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine to “denazify” and “demilitarize” Ukraine, and protect the country's Russian-speaking population. The West, however, see the military campaign that started in February 2022 as a war of aggression.