After Crimea, Is Russian President Vladimir Putin Eyeing Other Parts of Ukraine?

Has Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested a referendum in the conflict-hit regions of Eastern Ukraine to US President Donald Trump at a one-on-one meeting earlier this week in Helkensi? According to various media outlets, President Putin is keen to get a hold on pro-Russian territories of Ukraine.

Putin spoke of the scheme at a closed doors meeting with top diplomats in Moscow on Thursday, the agency reported, citing people who were present at the meeting. US President Donald Trump reportedly urged Putin not to communicate the plan at their joint press conference, as he needed some time to discuss the proposal.

Two regions in eastern Ukraine, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, have been locked in a bitter dispute with the central government in Kiev after a new government came to power in Ukraine in 2014.

Putin held a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The two leads discussed US-Russia bilateral relations, international trade amongst other topics.

Earlier, as EurAsian Times reported, after the Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki, Vladimir Putin has issued stringent warnings to the US-led NATO alliance. Vladimir Putin has warned NATO against its eastward expansion and its policy to have close ties with Ukraine and Georgia. The Russian President said that if NATO comes closer to Ukraine and Georgia, then it shall have to endure dire consequences.