Putin did not rule out a new unification of Ukraine and Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin today at the final press conference delivered a short monologue about the historical commonality of the Russian and Ukrainian peoples.
“The Slavic world developed in a complex manner. Rus' was formed complexly from many Slavic tribes. Kyiv was part and center of Rus'. In this sense, historical, spiritual and other roots give me the right to say that fundamentally we are one people,” Putin said.
Journalists responded to this with applause, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
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“As Ukraine developed, being close to the western borders, it developed in a certain way. There's a lot of wonderful originality there. People in Russia love Ukrainian culture and consider it part of their own. In the 19th century, people appeared who began to say that Ukraine should become independent. Maybe this was relevant within the framework of the empire, where, probably, a certain forced Russification was carried out. Although this was least important for Ukraine. After all, Ukraine is an Orthodox country. It was more important then. In general, Ukrainians are no different from Russians,” the Russian President continued the historical excursion.
He recalled that Ukraine in its current form was formed thanks to the Russian Empire and the USSR.
“Ukraine became part of the Russian Empire with three regions: Kyiv, Chernigov and what is now called the Zhitomir region. As a result of being in the Russian Empire, it grew in territory. For some reason, the Bolsheviks decided that all the territories surrounding Ukraine should be immersed in it. The entire Black Sea region went there, the western regions. Crimea was given away in violation of Union legislation,” Putin said.
At the same time, he did not rule out the possibility of a new unification of Ukraine and Russia.
“We will get through this, I'm sure. Some people believe that Ukraine should develop as an independent state. So, probably, so be it, if people think so. Fighting this is counterproductive. But you need to pay attention that the world is moving along a different path. People of different nationalities and religions unite. And they first pulled us apart and then set us against each other. We must understand what is beneficial for Russia and Ukraine and what is counterproductive,” Putin said.
Putin did not rule out a new unification of Ukraine and Russia.