Putin also accused the West of threats and blackmail during a previously unscheduled meeting of the Russian Security Council, which was televised, in an unusually theatrical setting.
Speaking about the prospect of talks with Biden, Putin – who had two lengthy phone calls with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday – indicated he was skeptical.
“Yesterday we spoke with the French President on two occasions, the second call lasted until 2:00 PM. He assured us that the American position had changed to some extent. But when asked what these changes were, unfortunately He couldn’t tell.
he then Remarks made on Sunday by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who once again stressed that the issue of Ukraine’s membership in NATO is “an issue for Ukraine and NATO.”
The assurance that Ukraine will not be admitted to NATO in the future is one of the central demands made by the Kremlin.
With his top officials gathered before him at an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council, Putin appeared earlier on Monday after claims made by the Russian military that soldiers and border guards clashed with “sabotage and reconnaissance groups from the region”. Ukraine ”inside Russian territory.
“Russia has always tried to resolve all conflicts by peaceful means. Nevertheless, the Kiev authorities took two punitive actions in these areas. [Donetsk and Luhansk]And it looks like we are now seeing an increase for the third time,” Putin said without further elaborating or providing details.
CNN has not independently confirmed reports of conflict in Russia’s territory. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said on Twitter: “I categorically deny the propaganda of the Russian Federation.”
Kuleba said that Ukraine “did not attack Donetsk, Luhansk, did not send saboteurs or armored personnel carriers across the border, did not fire at posts on the territory of the Russian Federation or on the border, did not commit sabotage, such actions.” Didn’t plan.”
The belligerent language on Putin’s part came as tensions escalated once again in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operations said it had recorded 32 ceasefire violations as of 4 p.m. local time, a number roughly in line with incidents over the weekend.
New satellite images showed intense activity among Russian units close to Ukraine’s north-eastern border, and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said it recorded dozens of ceasefire violations on Sunday.
Defense Minister Oleksey Reznikov said on Monday that Ukraine did not see a withdrawal of Russian forces from positions close to the border.
CNN’s Nathan Hodge, Anna Chernova, Josh Pennington, Sarah Dean and Amy Cassidy contributed to this report.
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