Russian President Vladimir Putin says the 2014 popular uprising that saw former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich forced from office was the result of a “coup” orchestrated by the United States and supported by Washington’s European allies as he appealed for greater cooperation on the continent.
Writing an op-ed in German newspaper Die Zeit to mark the 80th anniversary of Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, Putin described on Tuesday the toppling of Yanukovich as an “anti-constitutional armed coup”.
Moscow has long accused the US of fomenting turmoil in Ukraine, where tensions with neighbouring Russia have grown since Yanukovich, a pro-Kremlin leader, was removed.
After his February 2014 exit, Russia annexed the Black Sea region of Crimea and gave its backing to separatist fighters as an armed conflict erupted in Ukraine’s east.
Post-Cold War dynamics, which left countries faced with an “artificial choice” between siding with the West or Russia, had shaped the “Ukrainian tragedy”, Putin wrote.
“Why did the United States organise a coup, and why did the countries of Europe weakly support it, provoking a split in Ukraine itself and the withdrawal of Crimea?” he said.
“Now the entire system of European security has seriously degraded. Tensions are growing, and the risks of a new arms race are becoming real.”
Putin’s comments follow his highly-anticipated Geneva summit with US counterpart Joe Biden last week, during which the pair committed to try and lay the groundwork for future arms control agreements and return their respective ambassadors to their posts.
Before the talks, both sides had said big breakthroughs were unlikely with relations between Russia and the West at post-Cold War lows.
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