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Vladimir Putin: War with Ukraine would be 'apocalyptic' but unlikely
By Holly Yan, CNN
Updated 1244 GMT (2044 HKT) February 24, 2015
Crisis in Ukraine
Kerry: Russia actions are 'simply unacceptable'
A woman salvages items from the rubble of a destroyed clinic where she had worked in Opytne,
Ukraine, on February 15.
Ukraine: Is it a ceasefire if guns are still firing?
orig-cnn-ukraine-conflict-war-npw-cm_00013405.jpg
Why is there conflict in Ukraine?
Family loses 3 children one day before ceasefire begins
intv pleitgen ukraine pm yatsenyuk_00021613.jpg
Ukrainian PM: We only have bad options
From the left : Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German
Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, and Ukrainian President Petro
Poroshenko pose for a photo during a time-break in their peace talks in Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday,
Feb. 11, 2015. Leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany are gathering for crucial talks in the hope
of negotiating an end fighting between Russia-backed separatist and government forces in eastern
Ukraine. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

Putin: Agreement reached despite difficulties

A police expert checks a dead person killed as a result of shelling in the eastern Ukrainian town of
Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region on February 10, 2015. At least six civilians were killed and 21 wounded
in a rocket attack on Ukraine's military headquarters in the wartorn east, local authorities said. The
attack also hit residential areas of Kramatorsk, which is considered to be under firm Kiev control. AFP
PHOTO / SERGEY BOBOKSERGEY BOBOK/AFP/Getty
Separatist: Too many women, children died for ceasefire
Image #: 34421671 epa04575365 Local people inspect the scene of an explosion next to a bus stop in
downtown of Donetsk, Ukraine, 22 January 2015. At least nine people were killed and nine injured early
22 January when a grenade exploded at a bus stop in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, pro-Russian
separatists said. ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/EPA/LANDOV
Huge explosion at chemical factory in Donetsk
Russia's propaganda machine blaming unrest on U.S.
Russia's propaganda machine blaming unrest on U.S.
Pro-Russian separatists ride tanks in the eastern Ukrainian city of Lugansk on February 21, 2015.
Ukraine's military and pro-Moscow rebels swapped scores of prisoners in rare compliance with a
truce so badly breached over the past week that the US warned it could escalate sanctions on Russia
within days
Ukraine: We need separatists to deliver on ceasefire
nr pleitgen vo bomb explodes during pro ukrainian rally_00001123.jpg
Bomb explodes during pro-Ukrainian rally
Pro-Russia rebels walk in Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015. After weeks of
relentless fighting, the embattled Ukrainian rail hub of Debaltseve fell Wednesday to Russia-backed
separatists, who hoisted a flag in triumph over the town. The Ukrainian president confirmed that he had
ordered troops to pull out and the rebels reported taking hundreds of soldiers captive. (AP Photo/ Peter
Leonard)
Fall of Debaltseve sends shockwaves through region
pleitgen pkg kiev marks one year since yanukovych ouster_00001622.jpg
Ukraine marks one year since president's ouster
KIEV, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 20: Women kneel at a memorial to Nazar Voytovich, one of the many victims
of the Maidan uprising one year ago, following an evening ceremony and concert of Mozart's
"Requiem" attended by tens of thousands at Maidan square on February 20, 2015 in Kiev,
Ukraine. Ukraine is commemorating the first anniversary of the February 20, 2014 sniper attacks that
killed dozens of protesters on the Maidan and were followed by the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor
Yanukovich shortly later. Meanwhile fighting between pro-Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists

is continuing in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine despite the recent Minsk ceasefire agreements.
(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Day of remembrance, reflection in Ukraine
Pro-Russian rebels stationed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Gorlivka, Donetsk region, launch missiles
from a Grad launch vehicle toward a position of the Ukrainian forces in Debaltseve, about 35km east of
Gorlivka, on February 13, 2015. Fighting raged in Ukraine today as the clock ticked down to a ceasefire
that will be a first test of Kiev and pro-Russian separatists' committment to a freshly-inked peace
plan.
Ukraine: Battle for a ghost town

Kerry: Russia actions are 'simply unacceptable'

A woman salvages items from the rubble of a destroyed clinic where she had worked in Opytne,
Ukraine, on February 15.
Ukraine: Is it a ceasefire if guns are still firing?
orig-cnn-ukraine-conflict-war-npw-cm_00013405.jpg
Why is there conflict in Ukraine?

Family loses 3 children one day before ceasefire begins

intv pleitgen ukraine pm yatsenyuk_00021613.jpg
Ukrainian PM: We only have bad options
From the left : Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German
Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, and Ukrainian President Petro
Poroshenko pose for a photo during a time-break in their peace talks in Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday,
Feb. 11, 2015. Leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany are gathering for crucial talks in the hope
of negotiating an end fighting between Russia-backed separatist and government forces in eastern
Ukraine. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)
Putin: Agreement reached despite difficulties
A police expert checks a dead person killed as a result of shelling in the eastern Ukrainian town of
Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region on February 10, 2015. At least six civilians were killed and 21 wounded
in a rocket attack on Ukraine's military headquarters in the wartorn east, local authorities said. The
attack also hit residential areas of Kramatorsk, which is considered to be under firm Kiev control. AFP
PHOTO / SERGEY BOBOKSERGEY BOBOK/AFP/Getty
Separatist: Too many women, children died for ceasefire

Image #: 34421671 epa04575365 Local people inspect the scene of an explosion next to a bus stop in
downtown of Donetsk, Ukraine, 22 January 2015. At least nine people were killed and nine injured early
22 January when a grenade exploded at a bus stop in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, pro-Russian
separatists said. ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/EPA/LANDOV
Huge explosion at chemical factory in Donetsk
Russia's propaganda machine blaming unrest on U.S.
Russia's propaganda machine blaming unrest on U.S.
Pro-Russian separatists ride tanks in the eastern Ukrainian city of Lugansk on February 21, 2015.
Ukraine's military and pro-Moscow rebels swapped scores of prisoners in rare compliance with a
truce so badly breached over the past week that the US warned it could escalate sanctions on Russia
within days
Ukraine: We need separatists to deliver on ceasefire
nr pleitgen vo bomb explodes during pro ukrainian rally_00001123.jpg
Bomb explodes during pro-Ukrainian rally
Pro-Russia rebels walk in Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015. After weeks of
relentless fighting, the embattled Ukrainian rail hub of Debaltseve fell Wednesday to Russia-backed
separatists, who hoisted a flag in triumph over the town. The Ukrainian president confirmed that he had
ordered troops to pull out and the rebels reported taking hundreds of soldiers captive. (AP Photo/ Peter
Leonard)
Fall of Debaltseve sends shockwaves through region
pleitgen pkg kiev marks one year since yanukovych ouster_00001622.jpg
Ukraine marks one year since president's ouster
KIEV, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 20: Women kneel at a memorial to Nazar Voytovich, one of the many victims
of the Maidan uprising one year ago, following an evening ceremony and concert of Mozart's
"Requiem" attended by tens of thousands at Maidan square on February 20, 2015 in Kiev,
Ukraine. Ukraine is commemorating the first anniversary of the February 20, 2014 sniper attacks that
killed dozens of protesters on the Maidan and were followed by the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor
Yanukovich shortly later. Meanwhile fighting between pro-Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists
is continuing in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine despite the recent Minsk ceasefire agreements.
(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Day of remembrance, reflection in Ukraine
Pro-Russian rebels stationed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Gorlivka, Donetsk region, launch missiles
from a Grad launch vehicle toward a position of the Ukrainian forces in Debaltseve, about 35km east of
Gorlivka, on February 13, 2015. Fighting raged in Ukraine today as the clock ticked down to a ceasefire
that will be a first test of Kiev and pro-Russian separatists' committment to a freshly-inked peace
plan.

Ukraine: Battle for a ghost town

Kerry: Russia actions are 'simply unacceptable'
Story highlights
Vladimir Putin says he hopes Russia and Ukraine won't go to war
Polls show 81% of Russians have a negative view toward the U.S.
(CNN)A war with Ukraine would be "apocalyptic" but will probably never happen, Russian President
Vladimir Putin said.

"I believe such (an) apocalyptic scenario is unlikely, and hope that it will never get to that point," he told
Russian media Monday.

Putin said he's confident the crisis will stabilize if the Minsk Agreement is implemented.

Crisis in Ukraine
Crisis in Ukraine 42 photos
EXPAND GALLERY
The battle for Debaltseve
The battle for Debaltseve 15 photos
EXPAND GALLERY
The accord, between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, includes a ceasefire between Ukraine and
pro-Russian separatists and an agreement for both sides to pull back heavy weapons.

Despite frequent violations of the ceasefire, Putin said there's no need for immediate action beyond the
Minsk Agreement, such as more international peace talks or the formal recognition of rebel separatist
groups like the People's Republic of Donetsk and the People's Republic of Lugansk.

"I really hope (the Minsk Agreement) is implemented, and if it is -- it is the right way to normalization of
situation in that Ukrainian region," Putin said.

But the chaos on the ground in eastern Ukraine suggests the truce is crumbling. In the past week,
shelling has intensified in the city of Donetsk.

And on Friday, Ukraine's National Defense and Security Council reported 300 violations of the ceasefire,
which was less than a week old.

Ukraine has said its forces won't back down until attacks from the rebels stop. Pro-Russian separatists
have also accused Ukraine of instigating violence.

Putin said there's no chance Crimea -- which was annexed by Russia last year -- will go back in
Ukraine.
Putin said there's no chance Crimea -- which was annexed by Russia last year -- will go back in Ukraine.
In his interview, Putin also said there's no chance Crimea -- which was annexed by Russia last year -- will
go back in Ukraine.

"Regarding the return of any territories, such things are of revengeful nature, and it is not about return
of some territories somewhere," Putin said

"Crimea will remain Russian, Ukrainian, Tatar, Greek, and German -- it will be a home to all these
nations. With regard to its nationality, Crimean people made their choice, which we must respect."

Anti-U.S. sentiment grows

Russian citizens slam the United States
Russian citizens slam the United States 02:19
PLAY VIDEO
On the streets of Moscow, many Russian point their fingers at the United States for the Ukraine crisis.

The latest polls show 81% of Russians have a negative view of the U.S. -- the highest number since the
collapse of the Soviet Union.

State-run media reports the United States wants to encroach on Russia.

And the Kremlin's propaganda campaign seems to be paying off.

"My attitude to America is bad," one woman said. "The way I watch the news, I realize the Americans
want to get a hold of half of Russia."

Russia has denied widespread claims that it is supporting the pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine and has
sent its own troops to the border.

The United Nations says more than 5,000 people have been killed since mid-April amid the fighting
between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops. Many of those killed were civilians.

CNN's Erin McLaughlin and Elena Sandyrev contributed to this report.

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