US Ambassador to OSCE: Putin is ready to make Russians suffer serious losses

The people of Russia are hostages of their president.

Daniel Baer, the US Representative to the OSCE, said it in an interview with Echo of Moscow (Ekho Moskvy).

President Putin is ready to make his people suffer serious losses, but ordinary Russians and Ukrainians do not need it, he said. They don't want the escalation of the war and don't want Russia to be involved in the war with Ukraine. It is a clear situation that peaceful steps and a peaceful solution are needed, he noted. Baer emphasised the importance of diplomatic efforts to persuade the conflict parties to start negotiations and stop confrontation.

He stressed that there were enough proofs that Russia supplied weapons to militants in Donbas. Baer notes that no one wants conflicts with Russia.

Most of us clearly understand that the decisions taken by the Russian leadership are strategic and sad for the people of Russia and Ukraine, he said. The international community wants to persuade Russia to resume negotiations and doesn't want to impose severe costs on the people of Russia, because Russian people suffer too, the US Representative to the OSCE noted.