A high-level meeting at his residence Novo-Ogaryovo, on the matter of coordinating actions in defense of Russia’s citizens living in the regions on Ukraine’s border, was attended by the governors of the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod Regions, the Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, the First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, the Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu, the Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, and seven others. President Vladimir Putin opened the deliberations, saying in part:
“It goes without saying that the main objective for the Defense Ministry is to force the adversary to withdraw from our territory and reliably secure our state border by working together with the Border Service….
“It is now becoming increasingly clear why the Kiev regime rejected our proposals for a peaceful settlement, as well as those from interested and neutral mediators. It appears that the enemy, with the support from their Western backers, is executing their directives, and the West is using Ukrainians as proxies in this conflict. It seems the opponent is aiming to strengthen their negotiating position for the future. However, what kind of negotiations can we have with those who indiscriminately attack civilians and civilian infrastructure, or pose threats to nuclear power facilities? What is there to discuss with such parties?
