Putin in Hungary: West already supplies arms to Kiev

“According to our data, weapons are already being supplied to Ukraine,” the Russian President said at a press conference following his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

“This is not surprising. I am convinced that whoever is supplying the weapons, the number of victims may grow, but the outcome will not change. The vast majority of soldiers serving in the Ukrainian army have no motivation to participate in an internecine conflict away from home, while the Donbass militia have every reason to defend their families.”

Nonetheless, Putin repeatedly emphasized that the situation was “more or less quiet” elsewhere on the front, and said that he was “more of an optimist than a pessimist” about the implementation of the Minsk agreement.

Putin urged the Ukrainian government “not to prevent the soldiers in the Debaltsevo cauldron from surrendering, or at least not punish those who simply want to save their lives.”

Up to 5,000 Ukrainian troops are thought to be surrounded in this key area deep inside rebel territory. But with the Debaltsevo cauldron stumbling block firmly in place of the ceasefire, both Kiev and its opponents appear to be reluctant to start the planned withdrawal. Neither side commented on how exactly they plan to make clashes stop around Debaltsevo.

Both Kiev and the militia have serious motives to cling to the contested Debaltsevo. For Kiev it would be a major military asset with proximity to Donetsk, while the Ukrainian media depict Debaltsevo as a place of a heroic last stand. Donbass forces suspect Kiev of intending to break the ceasefire eventually and don’t want to leave a land within rocket artillery range from Donetsk in their opponent’s hands.