Putin says 'the whole of Ukraine is ours' — in theory
Ukraine's foreign minister denounced the statements as evidence of Russian "disdain" for U.S. peace efforts and said Moscow was bent on seizing more territory and killing more Ukrainians.
Russia currently controls about a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, more than 99% of the Luhansk region, over 70% of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and fragments of the Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Asked about fresh Russian advances, Putin told the S.t Petersburg International Economic Forum that he considered Russians and Ukrainians to be one people and "in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours."
Kyiv and its Western allies say Moscow's claims to four Ukrainian regions and Crimea are illegal, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected the notion that Russians and Ukrainians are one people.
He has also said that Putin's terms for peace are akin to capitulation.
Putin, who ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine, said on Friday he was not questioning Ukraine's independence or its people's striving for sovereignty, but he underscored that when Ukraine declared independence as the Soviet Union fell in 1991 it had also declared its neutrality.
Putin said Moscow wanted Ukraine to accept the reality on the ground if there was to be a chance of peace — Russia's shorthand for the reality of Russia's control over a chunk of Ukrainian territory bigger than the U.S. state of Virginia.
"We have a saying, or a parable," Putin said. "Where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours."
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, writing in English on the X social media platform, said: "Putin's cynical statements demonstrate complete disdain for U.S. peace efforts."
"While the United States and the rest of the world have called for an immediate end to the killing, Russia's top war criminal discusses plans to seize more Ukrainian territory and kill more Ukrainians."
Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, "he brings along only death, destruction, and devastation," Sybiha said.
Zelenskyy, in his nightly video address, said Russia had shown "openly and utterly cynically that they 'don't feel like' agreeing to a ceasefire. Russia wants to continue the war."
Zelenskyy said commanders had discussed action in Ukraine's northern Sumy region and that Russia had "various plans and intentions, completely mad as always. We are holding them back and eliminating these killers, defending our Sumy region."
Putin said Russian forces were carving out a buffer zone in the Sumy region in order to protect Russian territory.
"Next is the city of Sumy, the regional center. We don't have the task of taking it, but in principle I don't rule it out," he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NHK
2 hours ago
- NHK
Putin, Macron divided over how to deal with war in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by telephone on Tuesday for the first time in almost three years. Putin repeated Moscow's claim that the conflict with Ukraine was due to Western policies. The Elysee presidential palace said Macron expressed his country's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and integrity. He called for a ceasefire as soon as possible and the launch of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia for a solid and lasting settlement of the conflict. The Kremlin quoted Putin as saying that the Ukraine conflict was a direct consequence of the policies pursued by Western countries, which had been ignoring Russia's security interests for years and creating an anti-Russia staging ground in Ukraine. The Russian presidential office said that as conditions for a peaceful settlement, Putin demanded the elimination of the root causes of the Ukraine crisis and it should be based on the new territorial realities. It is believed that Putin also demanded Ukraine give up its aspiration to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He is also thought to have reiterated Russia's call for the recognition of the unilaterally annexed four Ukrainian regions as its territory.
NHK
11 hours ago
- NHK
US curbs weapons shipments to Ukraine, reportedly due to stockpile shortages
The administration of President Donald Trump has confirmed that the US has halted some weapons shipments to Ukraine. Media report that a decline in weapons stockpiles is behind the decision. A White House spokesperson told NHK on Monday that the "decision was made to put America's interests first" following the Defense Department's review of US military support and assistance to other countries. However, details such as the types and amounts of the weapons involved were not disclosed. The suspension comes after Trump indicated in late June that the US may provide Ukraine with additional Patriot air defense systems. US media say the decision was made due to a decline in the US military's stockpiles, including artillery rounds and missiles, as it responds to developments in the Middle East and other issues. The decision was reportedly driven by the Pentagon's undersecretary for policy, Elbridge Colby. He previously suggested that the US should scale back its engagement in Ukraine to prioritize its response to China.
Japan Today
18 hours ago
- Japan Today
Putin, Macron discuss Iran, Ukraine in first phone call in nearly three years
FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a video conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, June 26, 2020. Michel Euler/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Russian President Vladimir Putin had a "substantial" phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on the Iran-Israel conflict and Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, the first such exchange between the two leaders since September 2022. In Paris, Macron's office said the call lasted two hours and that the French leader had called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of negotiations on ending the conflict. A French diplomatic source said Macron had talked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before and after his call with Putin to brief him on the talks. Macron also talked to U.S. President Donald Trump about the exchange. According to the Kremlin press service, Putin said it was necessary to respect Iran's right to the peaceful development of nuclear energy as well as its continued compliance with its obligations under the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. The French president's office said Macron, who sees the Iranian nuclear threat as sufficiently serious to justify the involvement of all five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, had also stressed the need for Iran to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran's parliament approved a bill last month to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, after Israel and the United States bombed Iran's nuclear sites, aiming to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran has denied seeking one. Macron "expressed his determination to seek a diplomatic solution that would lead to a lasting and rigorous resolution of the nuclear issue, the question of Iran's missiles, and its role in the region," his office said, adding that the two leaders had decided to "coordinate" their efforts. France and Russia are both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. On Ukraine, Putin reiterated his position to Macron that the war was "a direct consequence of the West's policy," which he said had "ignored Russia's security interests" over the past few years. Any possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine should have a "comprehensive and long-term character" and be based on "new territorial realities," the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying. Putin has previously said Ukraine must accept Russia's annexation of swaths of its territory as part of any peace deal. Macron has said Ukraine alone should decide on whether or not to accept territorial concessions. During Tuesday's call, Macron's office said, "the president emphasised France's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity." Macron and Putin aim to continue their discussions on Ukraine and Iran, the French president's office said. Macron and Putin held regular discussions around the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which was criticized by some European allies, with Macron also visiting Putin in Russia shortly before the invasion in February 2022. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
