Putin accuses US of hypocrisy over Ukraine crisis
Iran Press TV
Wed Jun 4, 2014 3:47PM GMT
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of hypocrisy in its "aggressive" attempts to punish Moscow for the crisis in Ukraine.
Putin made the remarks on Wednesday following criticism by US President Barack Obama over Russia's actions during the Ukraine crisis.
'We have almost no military forces abroad.... [However,] everywhere in the world there are American military bases, American troops thousands of kilometers from their borders," said Putin, adding, "They interfere in the interior affairs of this or that country. So it is difficult to accuse us of abuses.'
The Russian president's remarks came after Obama earlier in the day accused Moscow of using "dark tactics" to revive a Russian empire. Obama also condemned what he called Moscow's aggression against Ukraine and 'separation' of the Crimea from Ukraine.
The US president made the comments after a meeting with Ukraine's President-elect Petro Poroshenko in the Polish capital, Warsaw, in which he promised full support for Kiev.
The US announced that it would send an additional USD 5 million in equipment to Kiev, as Ukraine's military continues to stage operations against pro-Russia protesters in the country's east.
Obama's visit to Europe is meant to reassure NATO allies of US support in Ukraine's conflict with Russia.
Tensions between the United States and Russia heightened after Ukraine's former Black Sea peninsula of Crimea joined the Russian Federation following a referendum in March, in which 96.8 percent of Crimeans voted for the reunion of Crimea with Russia.
The move sparked angry reactions from the United States and the European Union, both imposing punitive measures against a number of Russian officials and authorities in Crimea.
CAH/AB/SS
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