Washington’s support to Ukraine in 2014, reason for current conflict, Putin tells US envoy

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the newly appointed US Ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy, that the situation in Ukraine was a result of Washington’s support for the Maidan protestors in 2014, reported CNN.

Putin told Tracy as he accepted her credentials, “Dear Madam Ambassador, I do not want to disturb the gracious atmosphere of the presentation of credentials and I know that you may not agree with me, but I cannot but say that the use of such instruments by the United States in its foreign policy as support for the so-called ‘colour revolutions,’ support in this regard by the State Department of the coup in Kyiv in 2014, ultimately have led to the current Ukrainian crisis.” “[US actions] additionally made a negative impact on the degradation of Russian-American relations.”

Notably, over 70 people died during the 2014 Maidan protests, which were sparked by former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to scrap a trade deal with the European Union and instead turn toward Russia, according to CNN.

Over 50 people were killed and 100 were hurt on the bloodiest day in Kyiv’s Maidan, or Independence Square, where protestors said government snipers opened fire on them.

Putin said on Wednesday that ties between Russia and the US were at an all-time low.

Putin said, “Relations between Russia and the United States, on which global security and stability directly depend, are in a deep crisis unfortunately,” adding, “It is based on fundamentally different approaches to the formation of the modern world order,” CNN reported.