Putin wants to rebuild Russian empire

Ukraine president: Putin wants to rebuild Russian empire

Kremlin insists Russian leader’s meeting with US president will go ahead.

By MAXIME SCHLEE

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to rebuild the Russian empire, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.

Speaking to German newspaper Bild in an interview published Thursday, the Ukrainian leader also dismissed as “ridiculous” Putin’s claim that he had provoked the Kerch crisis to improve his popularity ahead of an election.

“It is just as in 2014: Putin wants to annex a further part of Ukraine, he’s acting the same way as at that time,” Poroshenko said. “Putin wants the old Russian empire back. Crimea, Donbass, he wants the entire country.

“As Russian emperor, which is how he sees himself, his empire cannot work without Ukraine, he sees us as a colony,” he said.

The Bild interview came as Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman headed to Berlin to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Thursday’s German-Ukrainian Economic Forum.

In the interview, Poroshenko called for more international support for his country.

“The only language [Putin] understands is the unity of the Western world,” the Ukrainian leader said, adding that he hoped Merkel would back Kiev.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday also called for Merkel to get involved in the crisis, telling the New York Post: “Angela, let’s get involved Angela!”

He also said he “didn’t like” Russia’s actions in the Sea of Azov.

The Kremlin’s spokesman said Thursday that a meeting between the U.S. president and Putin during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires would go ahead. Trump had earlier suggested it could be canceled.

Russia on Sunday opened fire on two Ukrainian vessels and a tugboat off the coast of Crimea, claiming the vessels had illegally entered Russian waters. Russian authorities seized the three ships and detained 24 sailors. In response to the incident, Ukraine’s parliament on Monday voted to introduce martial law in the country for 30 days.

The EU said in a statement it was “dismayed at this use of force by Russia” and called for Moscow to abide by international law. NATO called for “calm and restraint” and for Russia to allow freedom of navigation. Both also reiterated support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.