Putin claims Russian sovereignty over occupied Ukrainian territories
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Zambianobserver
Vladimir Putin says Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia belong to “historical Russia” and rejects the idea of a territorial loss for Moscow. The Russian president made the remarks in response to questions from journalist Pavel Zarubin, according to the interview broadcast by the Russian presidency.
Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, claimed the Ukrainian territories occupied by Moscow as Russian. He said they did not constitute “territorial losses”, but were part of the territory of “historical Russia”, citing the votes organised in those regions and their proclaimed incorporation into the Russian Federation.
The Russian president also said that Russia could not be defeated on the battlefield and that a strategic defeat was unrealistic. He assured that Moscow was not preparing for war against Europe, while accusing certain European countries and other states of seeking to weaken Russia, according to his responses to journalist Pavel Zarubin.
The statements came after the meeting between Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff on 20 October. On 21 October, Putin rejected any ceasefire, while Russia said on the same day that it was ready to resume talks with Ukraine and the United States. On 23 October, Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies to maintain pressure on Russia.
