St Petersburg [Russia], June 21 (ANI): Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Friday that Moscow is not demanding Ukraine’s unconditional surrender, but is instead insisting that Kyiv recognize the “realities” on the ground following the Russian military’s advances since 2022. He made the remarks during a plenary session at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, according to RT.
When asked whether Russia was seeking from Ukraine the kind of unconditional surrender that U.S. President Donald Trump is demanding from Iran, Putin responded:
“We are not seeking the surrender of Ukraine. We insist on recognition of the realities that have developed on the ground.”
He added that the conflict in Ukraine is “completely different” from the Middle East situation and refrained from explicitly stating whether Russia planned to advance further into Ukrainian territory.
Putin restated his belief that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people,” saying,
“I have said many times that I consider Russians and Ukrainians to be one people, in fact. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours.”
However, he also noted that Moscow has never denied Ukraine’s right to be an independent country.
In response to questions about military plans, Putin did not rule out potential advances into deeper Ukrainian territory such as the city of Sumy, located near the Russian border.
“We don’t have the goal of taking Sumy, but in principle, I don’t rule it out,” he said.
According to Putin, Russian troops established a 10–12 km “buffer zone” in the Sumy area after repelling a Ukrainian offensive on Kursk Region in August last year. He claimed that the Ukrainian military is suffering from severe manpower shortages, stating that their forces are at only 47% capacity and suffered 76,000 casualties during the Kursk operation.
Addressing the possibility of peace talks, Putin expressed doubt about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy, given that Zelensky’s official term expired last year and elections were not held due to martial law. While Zelensky has insisted that he remains the legitimate leader during wartime, Putin questioned whether any agreement signed by him would hold legal value.
“If the Ukrainian state entrusts someone to negotiate on its behalf, suit yourself, let it be Zelensky. The question is, who will sign the document?”
Putin suggested that a peace treaty must be signed by “legitimate authorities” to ensure that it is binding on future Ukrainian governments.
“Otherwise, whoever comes after him will toss it to the dumpster. That’s not a way to conduct serious business,” he said.
Despite these concerns, Putin signaled willingness to engage in dialogue, indicating that negotiations are still possible, though the prerequisites and legal recognition of the parties remain key hurdles.
This latest statement from the Russian president comes amid ongoing hostilities in Ukraine and continued international efforts to seek a diplomatic resolution. (ANI)
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