Ukraine's neutral status is of fundamental importance for us - President Putin.

“Kiev received its independence on the basis of the declaration of independence. And in this declaration it is written in black and white that Ukraine is a neutral state. This is of fundamental importance. Why the West began to draw Ukraine into NATO is not very clear to us. This is what creates, in our opinion, a fundamental threat to our security,” the President said at a meeting with the heads of African states in St. Petersburg.

At the same time, Putin positively assessed the peace initiatives of the African delegation and stressed that many of their proposals echo those of China.