:00:00. > :00:00.what happened in Yugoslavia in 1989. It was hard to believe and I
:00:00. > :00:09.couldn't believe my eyes but in the end of this century... ?
:00:10. > :00:12.STUDIO: This is BBC World News. I want to welcome viewers around the
:00:13. > :00:16.world and here in the UK. This is special coverage from Moscow of an
:00:17. > :00:21.address by President Putin on Crimea. Very much defending Russia's
:00:22. > :00:22.actions over the weekend. Welcoming Crimean members to Moscow. Let's
:00:23. > :00:46.continue to listen. TRANSLATION: It was clear the people
:00:47. > :00:50.who live in those countries were tired of the lack of perspective
:00:51. > :00:55.Countries were imposed with standards that had nothing to do
:00:56. > :01:02.with their way of life, culture and traditions. As a result. Instead of
:01:03. > :01:07.democracy and freedom they saw violence, chaos and a string of
:01:08. > :01:13.coups. Arab Spring was replaced by Arab winter. A similar scenario was
:01:14. > :01:21.realised in ewe crane when n 2004, to push a candidate to re-election
:01:22. > :01:24.they organise organised the so-called third round of election
:01:25. > :01:29.that was not pre-determined by the law. This was a mock constitution
:01:30. > :01:33.and now they use the army of militants. They understand what is
:01:34. > :01:39.happening. They understand these actions were aimed against Ukraine
:01:40. > :01:42.sia Russia. This was at a time when Russia was sincerely aiming towards
:01:43. > :01:47.the dialogue with our colleagues in the West. We were offering
:01:48. > :01:52.cooperation on all major issues. We want to strengthen the level of
:01:53. > :02:03.trust. We want our relations to be equal, open and honest. But they did
:02:04. > :02:08.not see any steps in our direction. Time and again we were deceived,
:02:09. > :02:16.decisions were made behind our backs. The same happened with the
:02:17. > :02:20.expansion to the east. The deployment of military structures on
:02:21. > :02:26.our boulders and we were told this is not our concern. It's easy to say
:02:27. > :02:40.it's not our concern. The same with the deployment of missile system in
:02:41. > :02:43.spite of all our concerns. The same with the access to international
:02:44. > :02:48.laws. Today we are threatened with sanctions, but even now there are a
:02:49. > :02:57.number of limitations significant our economy. In the time of Cold
:02:58. > :03:05.War, the USA and other countries prohibited the sale to the USSR
:03:06. > :03:10.along list of equipment. Now they've been formally eliminated, but in
:03:11. > :03:17.fact many bands are still in action. In short, we have all the reasons to
:03:18. > :03:22.believe that the policy of detainment of Russia that was
:03:23. > :03:26.happening in the 1890s and 20th century is still going on. We are
:03:27. > :03:34.driven into a corner for our independent position, for our
:03:35. > :03:38.fighting, for our calling things as they are. I'm not being
:03:39. > :03:45.hypocritical. There's a limit to everything. Everything has its
:03:46. > :03:50.limits and in the case of Ukraine, our western partners have broken
:03:51. > :03:53.that border, they have overreached the limit. They behaved
:03:54. > :04:03.irresponsibly and they knew perfectly well... That in Ukraine
:04:04. > :04:11.and the Crimea there are millions of Russian people. How they could have
:04:12. > :04:15.lost the political sense not to foresee the consequences of their
:04:16. > :04:21.actions. Russia was on the brink and could not step back any more. If you
:04:22. > :04:28.press the spring, it will release at some point. We should stop his, we
:04:29. > :04:34.should reject the rhetoric of Cold War and we should accept the obvious
:04:35. > :04:50.thing. Russia is an independent participant of international law.
:04:51. > :05:05.We are grateful to all those who understood our steps in Crimea. We
:05:06. > :05:16.are grateful to the people of China, whose leadership sees the situation
:05:17. > :05:25.in Ukraine and Crimea without his derricks. Dash-macro hysterics.
:05:26. > :05:31.Today I want to address myself to the people of the United States, the
:05:32. > :05:35.people who, since the founding of this state, since the declaration of
:05:36. > :05:45.Independence, are proud that freedom is overall. Isn't the striving of
:05:46. > :05:50.the people of career not the same value? Please understand us.
:05:51. > :05:59.Dash-macro Crimea. I trust we will be understood by Europeans. In the
:06:00. > :06:03.course of political consultations over the reunion and of Germany at a
:06:04. > :06:11.very high level, representatives of not every country that were then
:06:12. > :06:18.allies of Germany were supporting the idea of reunification. Our
:06:19. > :06:25.country, on the contrary, was immediately supported the strive of
:06:26. > :06:30.German people for reunification. I'm confident you have not forgotten
:06:31. > :06:37.that and I count the people of Germany will also support the
:06:38. > :06:54.Russian world to its reunification. I address myself to the people of
:06:55. > :07:00.Ukraine. I sincerely want you to understand this. In no way do we
:07:01. > :07:05.want to damage you, insult your national feelings. We have always
:07:06. > :07:13.respected the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state, unlike those
:07:14. > :07:19.others. They talk about great Ukraine, but it was they who did
:07:20. > :07:25.everything to split the country. The civil confrontation in Ukraine today
:07:26. > :07:30.is entirely their responsibility. I want you to hear me, my dear
:07:31. > :07:38.friends. Don't trust those who frighten you with Russia, those who
:07:39. > :07:43.say Crimea... We don't want a split Ukraine. Crimea was and will remain
:07:44. > :08:02.both Russian and Ukrainian. I will repeat, as it has been for
:08:03. > :08:09.centuries, it will be home for all the ethnic groups who live there,
:08:10. > :08:23.but it will never be a region of Bandera ass.
:08:24. > :08:35.APPLAUSE Crimea is our common asset and the
:08:36. > :08:41.most important factor of stability in the region. This is a strategic
:08:42. > :08:48.territory that should be under strong and stable sovereignty. It
:08:49. > :09:15.can be only Russian today. Otherwise, dear friends, and I'm
:09:16. > :09:24.addressing myself to Ukrainians and Russians, Russians and Ukrainians,
:09:25. > :09:34.we could lose Crimea altogether and not that far-away. Please think
:09:35. > :09:41.about this. I want to remind you... The city of Russian military glory
:09:42. > :09:47.will be the base for NATO, maybe. There will be a threat to the entire
:09:48. > :09:57.south of Russia. A very concrete threat. That's what would have
:09:58. > :09:58.happened if not for the choice of Crimea and is and I want to thank
:09:59. > :10:16.them for this. We are not against cooperation with
:10:17. > :10:21.NATO. We are against a military alliance. NATO remains a military
:10:22. > :10:26.organisation. We are against a military organisation being next to
:10:27. > :10:38.our border, our historic territories. I can't imagine that
:10:39. > :10:39.they are going to Sevastopol to visit NATO seamen. It would be
:10:40. > :10:59.better if they came I will tell you straightaway, we are
:11:00. > :11:03.of course deeply concerned with what's happening in Ukraine. People
:11:04. > :11:06.are suffering, they don't know how to live there and our concern is
:11:07. > :11:15.understandable. We are not just neighbours, we are, as I said many
:11:16. > :11:25.times, one nation. Kiev is the mother of Russian cities. Old Russia
:11:26. > :11:31.is our common route, our common fundament. We will not be able to
:11:32. > :11:35.live without each other. Millions of Russians live and will continue to
:11:36. > :11:37.live in Ukraine and Russia will always protect their interests.
:11:38. > :11:55.Political, diplomatic, legal. First and foremost, Ukraine itself
:11:56. > :12:07.should be interested in the rights of these people. This is the aim for
:12:08. > :12:12.stability. We want friendship with Ukraine, we want them to be a strong
:12:13. > :12:17.state. It's one of our leading partners, we have lots of joint
:12:18. > :12:23.projects and I believe, in spite of everything, they will be successful.
:12:24. > :12:28.We want peace and agreement in the land of Ukraine. Along with other
:12:29. > :12:34.countries, we are prepared to facilitate this. It is only the
:12:35. > :12:41.citizens of Ukraine that can bring order into their own home. Dear
:12:42. > :12:50.residents of Crimea and Sevastopol, has been admiring your courage, your
:12:51. > :13:01.caring and your dignity. You decided the fate of Crimea. These days, we
:13:02. > :13:05.are as close as ever, we are supporting each other. These are
:13:06. > :13:10.genuine and sincere feelings of solidarity. At moments like this,
:13:11. > :13:14.historic moments, the strength of the will of the nation is being
:13:15. > :13:28.tested and the people of Russia have proved this surety and this force.
:13:29. > :13:33.They supported their compatriots. Strength of foreign policy of Russia
:13:34. > :13:39.was based on the will of millions of people, on the idea of national
:13:40. > :13:44.unity, on the support of political and social forces. I want to thank
:13:45. > :13:50.everybody for this patriotic feeling. Everybody, without
:13:51. > :13:54.exception. It is important for us to retain this consolidation, to
:13:55. > :13:59.resolve the issues that Russia is facing. We will of course be facing
:14:00. > :14:05.foreign confrontation, but we have to decide for ourselves. Are we
:14:06. > :14:10.prepared to protect our self interest or do we give in and
:14:11. > :14:19.retreat? Several Western politicians are frightening us with sanctions
:14:20. > :14:23.and sharpening internal problems. Are they talking about the fifth
:14:24. > :14:31.column of national traitors or are they counting on worsening living
:14:32. > :14:39.standards and instigating people 's anger? I see these statements as
:14:40. > :14:44.aggressive and irresponsible. I'm not going to dwell on them. We are
:14:45. > :14:50.never aiming for confrontation with our partners. On the contrary, we
:14:51. > :14:53.will do everything in our powers to build civilised, neighbourly
:14:54. > :15:02.relations as it should be in a contemporary world dear colleagues,
:15:03. > :15:05.I understand Crimea has posed a question in a referendum very
:15:06. > :15:10.clearly and distinctly. Whether Crimea should be with Ukraine
:15:11. > :15:16.Russia. The leadership of Crimea and Sevastopol, Parliament, when
:15:17. > :15:27.formulating the questions for the referendum, were guided by the
:15:28. > :15:36.interests of genuine interests of the people. Any other option, no
:15:37. > :15:40.matter how attractive it would be, by historic demographic, political
:15:41. > :15:48.and economic characteristics of this region would be temporarily and
:15:49. > :15:51.unstable and would bring a further worsening of the situation around
:15:52. > :16:01.Crimea and negatively damaged life of people. They posed the question
:16:02. > :16:06.rigidly, without compromise. The referendum was open and honest.
:16:07. > :16:08.People in the Crimea clearly and convincingly expressed their will.
:16:09. > :16:35.They want to be with Russia. Russia has also taken a very
:16:36. > :16:41.difficult decision, taking into account, as any democratic society,
:16:42. > :16:48.the different points of view. I want to underline the position of the
:16:49. > :16:57.absolute majority of the people is clear. Most recent polls prove that
:16:58. > :17:02.95% of the Russian population think that Russia should protect the
:17:03. > :17:20.interests of Russians and other groups of people in Ukraine, 95%.
:17:21. > :17:31.And more than 83% believe that Russia should take this action even
:17:32. > :17:37.if it worsens our relationships. Over 8% of Russian citizens believe
:17:38. > :17:54.Crimea is still Russian land. -- over 80%. This is an important
:17:55. > :18:09.figure. 92% are for Crimea joining Russia. So, an absolute majority of
:18:10. > :18:16.citizens of Crimea and the Russian Federation support the reunification
:18:17. > :18:57.of the Republic of Crimea, with the Russian Federation.
:18:58. > :19:03.We just have to take a political decision, and this decision can be
:19:04. > :19:11.based only on the will of the people. It is only the people who
:19:12. > :19:15.are the source of any power. Dear members of the Federation Council,
:19:16. > :19:22.of the state Duma, citizens of Russia, residents of Crimea and
:19:23. > :19:26.Sevastopol, today, based on the results of the referendum we had in
:19:27. > :19:40.Crimea, and on the will of the people, I bring into the council the
:19:41. > :20:15.execution in law on the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.
:20:16. > :20:29.And also, ratify the agreement about incorporating the Republic of Crimea
:20:30. > :20:33.and Sevastopol into the Russian Federation, have no doubt, I have no
:20:34. > :20:56.doubt in your support. Dear ladies and gentlemen, there
:20:57. > :21:29.will be a ceremony of signing. Please remain seated.
:21:30. > :21:38.STUDIO: This is BBC World News, bringing you live coverage as you
:21:39. > :21:45.can see of President Putin, and his speech in Moscow. A rousing speech,
:21:46. > :21:50.starting and ending there with a standing ovation.
:21:51. > :21:58.There will be a signing ceremony as far as we can see, with members of
:21:59. > :22:06.both Houses of Parliament, staying seated. But President Putin getting
:22:07. > :22:12.a round of applause repeatedly for saying that Sevastopol and Crimea
:22:13. > :22:19.will be unified with Russia, and there is mass support in Crimea and
:22:20. > :22:22.Russia for that move. Let us bring in Richard Galpin, our
:22:23. > :22:29.correspondence in Moscow, what did you make of that speech? A very,
:22:30. > :22:34.very strong, sweeping steep -- speech going right the way through
:22:35. > :22:39.the history, and emphasising the role is, essentially, saying how
:22:40. > :22:45.strong the relations between Russia and Ukraine have always been.
:22:46. > :22:51.And the fact that the Soviet leader gave away Crimea which had always
:22:52. > :22:58.been part of Russia, since the 17th century, and that was wrong. It was
:22:59. > :23:02.done behind closed doors. And again, following the collapse of the Soviet
:23:03. > :23:08.Union, Russia was basically not able to hold onto Crimea at that point.
:23:09. > :23:13.Russians who had been indifferent Soviet republics, stranded.
:23:14. > :23:18.Emphasising that. And bringing up to date the current situation in
:23:19. > :23:25.Ukraine. Describing the situation inside the country is absolutely
:23:26. > :23:31.chaotic. Nobody in control. And neo-Nazis, fascists, on the loose,
:23:32. > :23:36.saying people were being repressed. And Crimea was the first target.
:23:37. > :23:41.Therefore, Russia, in those circumstances, had to respond. They
:23:42. > :23:48.could not as he put it betray the people of Crimea. Therefore, Russia
:23:49. > :23:53.got involved. He was denying that Russia had used, or there had been
:23:54. > :23:58.any military intervention, saying that the forces in Crimea were
:23:59. > :24:05.within the agreed limits with the Ukraine authorities, 25,000 at the
:24:06. > :24:11.Fleet in Sevastopol. They had not breached those limits. Talking about
:24:12. > :24:17.the referendum, stressing it was legal and democratic.
:24:18. > :24:21.He started emotionally, very powerful to listen to. Saying,
:24:22. > :24:27.addressing people around the world, saying, you must realise Sevastopol,
:24:28. > :24:34.these are sacred for us, the birthplace of Russia, the Black Sea
:24:35. > :24:39.Navy, symbols of Russian military valour. He needed to know the
:24:40. > :24:46.history of Crimea, Russia, a common history. That this is one nation,
:24:47. > :24:51.Ukraine, Russia, we are one people. Saying interestingly at the end that
:24:52. > :24:56.they were worried about the people suffering in Russia. That Kiev is
:24:57. > :25:00.the mother of Russian cities. We cannot live without each other, we
:25:01. > :25:04.will always defend the many Russian speakers. He wanted friendship with
:25:05. > :25:08.Ukraine and it must be up to the people of Ukraine to take the
:25:09. > :25:13.decision about their future. What does that mean politically?
:25:14. > :25:20.An interesting point. He specifically ruled out, he said,
:25:21. > :25:25.that Russia did not want to divide Ukraine. Basically saying,
:25:26. > :25:34.implying, there will not be further military intervention in Ukraine. It
:25:35. > :25:40.is up to the people of Ukraine to sort out their own issues. But, as I
:25:41. > :25:44.said before, he is saying there is chaos in the country, there is no
:25:45. > :25:50.government, only radicals in control. An important point, I was
:25:51. > :25:54.struck how angry he is with the West. Talking about how Russia,
:25:55. > :25:59.essentially since the collapse of the Soviet Union, has been pushed
:26:00. > :26:08.into a corner constantly. It is in their interest, which is not being
:26:09. > :26:15.respected. Essentially if you push down and down, eventually, like a
:26:16. > :26:25.spring, it will snap up. Ukraine was that, he said. He said he saw the
:26:26. > :26:35.threat of sea urchins as an act of aggression, and that Russia should
:26:36. > :26:42.be respected, and he was grateful for others understanding their
:26:43. > :26:46.history. He said this is about freedom of choice. People in Kosovo
:26:47. > :26:53.and Albania had that freedom of independence, why not here? We have
:26:54. > :26:58.to leave it here, that special coverage of that speech by President
:26:59. > :27:00.Putin, a key speech. Much more on BBC News. Goodbye.