Mr Putin concisely answered journalists’ questions at the Borispol Airport. In particular, he said that the 10th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence was a holiday shared by the two countries.
As he came over to the Macedonian situation, Mr Putin said he did not think the militants would lay down arms of their own free will. Moscow hoped for positive achievements of the NATO operation launched in Macedonia, he added.
He stressed the necessity to provide every prerequisite for Albanian extremist disarmament, and said that available problems were to be settled solely by peaceful means.