MOSCOW. June 25 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to repeal the Federation Council resolution permitting the use of Russian troops in Ukraine is not a correction of mistakes but a positive message sent to Western partners, Federation Council Vice-Speaker Ilyas Umakhanov said.
"The March 1 resolution played its historic role as it had both military and political preventive meaning. Russia has reaffirmed its status of a great power which independently chooses its foreign political course based on national interests," Umakhanov said at a Federation Council sitting on Wednesday.
"The attempts to put a different complexion on the matter, allege that we are correcting our mistakes and present today's proposal of the president as a sign of weakness are either a complete miscomprehension or, rather, a deliberate and cynical distortion of the constructive nature of the Russian president's proposition," he said.
In the opinion of Umakhanov, Russia has made partners reckon with it and tangibly strengthened its authority in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The Federation Council vice-speaker said he hoped Russia's Western partners would duly understand the positive message from the Russian president, stop "inventing new horror stories and abandon the policy whitewashing radicalized forces in Ukraine."
"The repealed mandate for sending in forces enables our colleagues to save face and go back to the orbit of a normal working relationship with the Russian parliament," he said.