Russian President Vladimir Putin held an hour-long speech, on Monday, on state-run television regarding the Ukraine crisis.
Following his speech, Putin signed a decree, recognizing the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.
He said: “I believe it is necessary to take a long overdue decision, to immediately recognise the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic.”
In the same vein, here are the top controversial statements from the Russian leader's speech.
West wants to 'contain' Russia
Putin said the West wanted to "contain" Russia and would come up with an excuse to hit it with new sanctions.
"They will do it just because we exist," he said.
Ukraine has 'turned into a US colony with a puppet regime'
The Russian president has criticized the Ukrainian government saying that Ukraine has "turned into a colony with a puppet regime" and charged that western intelligence services were helping Ukraine commit crimes.
He also stated that Ukraine was not able to achieve stable statehood and was relying on foreign nations such as the United States.
Modern Ukraine
"Let's start with the fact that modern Ukraine was entirely created by Russia, more precisely, by the Bolshevik, communist Russia. This process began almost immediately after the 1917 revolution," Putin said.
Bill Clinton turned Putin down when he asked for Nato membership in 2000
Putin revealed that he asked then-outgoing US President Bill Clinton if Russia could join Nato in 2000 but he was rebuffed, adding that Clinton's reaction to his request was "more than reserved".
'Ukrainian society has an aggressive Russophobia'
The Russian President stated that the Kyiv authorities were working in an “unceremonial” and “uncooperative” way towards Russia.
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