Don't mess with nuclear Russia, Putin says
By Alexei Anishchuk August 29, 2014 11:48 AM
LAKE SELIGER Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Friday
Russia's armed forces, backed by its nuclear arsenal, were ready to
meet any aggression, declaring at a pro-Kremlin youth camp that foreign
states should understand: "It's best not to mess with us."
Putin told the assembly, on the banks of a lake near Moscow, the Russian takeover of Crimea in March was essential to save a largely Russian-speaking population from Ukrainian government violence.
He said continued fighting in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists launched an uprising in April, was the result of a refusal by Kiev to negotiate.
Putin told the assembly, on the banks of a lake near Moscow, the Russian takeover of Crimea in March was essential to save a largely Russian-speaking population from Ukrainian government violence.
He said continued fighting in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists launched an uprising in April, was the result of a refusal by Kiev to negotiate.
