Attempt to stop war: Putin finds new absurd justification for Russia's invasion of Ukraine

This was reported by Russian media.

"In fact, full-scale hostilities in Donbas have not stopped since 2014 - with the use of heavy equipment, artillery, tanks and aircraft. Everything we are doing today, in particular in the "special military operation", is an attempt to stop this war. This is the meaning of our "operation". And to protect our people who live in these territories," Putin said.

According to him, Russia allegedly did everything possible to reach an agreement with Ukraine, but was deceived.

"We have been patient for a long time, trying to reach an agreement for a long time. As it turns out now, we were simply led by the nose, deceived. This is not the first time this has happened to us. However, we did our best to resolve the situation peacefully. It has now become clear that this was by definition impossible," Putin added.

• On December 22, 2022, Putin said that Russia wanted the war in Ukraine to end as soon as possible and used this definition for the first time in relation to a "special operation."