Russian President Vladimir Putin recently suggested that “all of Ukraine” belonged to Russia, potentially hinting that his goal is for Russia to control all of Ukraine.
Addressing the media at the start of the Saint Petersburg Economic Forum on June 20, Putin said, “I have said many times that the Russian and Ukrainian people are one nation, in fact. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours.”
The Russian president added, “You know we have an old…not a proverb, but an old rule: wherever a Russian soldier steps, it is ours.”
In a Telegram post on June 21, Ukrainian President Volodymyr claimed that Putin had “put on a performance” and had spoken “completely openly” during his remarks ahead of the economic forum.
“Yes, he wants all of Ukraine,” Zelensky said. The Ukrainian president added, “And when he speaks about Ukraine and something else about Russian soldiers’ boots on the ground, he is also speaking about Belarus, the Baltic states, Moldova, the Caucasus, countries like Kazakhstan, and every place on Earth that Russian killers can reach. Putin’s power ends where the capabilities of Russian killers end.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha suggested that contrary to Putin’s statement, “Wherever a Russian soldier steps, he brings only death, destruction, and devastation.”
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Sybiha described Putin’s comments as “deranged” and argued that they demonstrated a “complete disdain” for the current peace efforts led by the United States under President Donald Trump’s administration.
“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,” Sybiha stated.
Last week, NATO alliance members agreed to increase target defense spending from 2 percent to 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2035. The agreement came following pressure from Trump for European allies to increase defense spending.
According to Aljazeera, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte recently announced an increase in military aid for Ukraine, saying, “At this moment, the Europeans and the Canadians have pledged, for this year, $35bn in military support to Ukraine.”
“Last year, it was just over $50bn for the full year,” Rutte added. “Now, before we reach half year, it is already at $35bn. And there are even others saying it’s already close to $40bn.”