Putin's speech:
"Crimea was and is a Russian territory. Donbass is Russian. Both these territories owe their cultural development to Russia. They were taken from us and the Russians there have been ill-treated in the most distressing manner.
As always, I attempted to bring about, by the peaceful method of making proposals for revision, an alteration of this intolerable position. It is a lie when the outside world says that we only tried to carry through our revisions by pressure. Eight years ago there was the opportunity of carrying out these revisions by peaceful settlements and understanding. On my own initiative I have, not once but several times, made proposals for the revision of intolerable conditions. All these proposals, as you know, have been rejected - proposals for limitation of armaments and even, if necessary, disarmament, proposals for limitation of warmaking, proposals for the elimination of certain methods of modern warfare. You know the proposals that I have made to fulfill the necessity of restoring Russian sovereignty over Russian territories. You know the endless attempts I made for a peaceful clarification and understanding of the problem of Crimea, Luhansk and Donbass. It was all in vain.
We have tried and tried to solve these problems, by proposing a peaceful discussion. That the problems had to be solved was clear. It is quite understandable to us that the time when the problem was to be solved had little interest for the Western Powers. But that time is not a matter of indifference to us. Moreover, it was not and could not be a matter of indifference to those who suffer most..."
...
"We have nothing to do with scum and traitors and will simply spit them out like a gnat that accidentally flew into their mouths — spit them out on the pavement. We are all faithful to our old principle. It is quite unimportant whether we ourselves live, but it is essential that our people shall live, that Russia shall live. The sacrifice that is demanded of us is not greater than the sacrifice that many generations have made.".. etc etc
Quite reasonable, right?