President of Ukrainian Paralympic Committee refuses to participate in meeting with Vladimir Putin in Sochi

Valery Sushkevich, President of the Paralympic Committee of Ukraine, has refused to take part in the reception of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi. Valery Sushkevich's initiative has been supported by the heads of Paralympic committees of Germany, Austria, Norway and other countries.

The heads of all committees of the participating countries of the Paralympics in Sochi were invited to attend the reception to be held on March 13. However, representatives of committees of several countries have refused to attend the reception, stating support to the Ukraine's struggle for peace and unity in the country. This was reported by the website of the Paralympic Committee of Ukraine.

At the same time, at the reception, Vladimir Putin has stated that the Paralympics has remained out of politics, and its holding "has not been affected by the difficult circumstances of that you are well aware." The President of the Russian Federation has also assured the participants of the reception that Russia "was not the initiator of the circumstances of which we are talking about now," the Vladimir Putin's official website quotes him as stating.