Russian dictator Vladimir Putin publicly and clearly expressed his unchanging goal in Ukraine, for which he launched a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. This is reported by UNN with reference to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
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Putin reaffirmed Russia's intention to ultimately achieve its broader territorial goals in Ukraine. He stated that Russia would "liberate its historical lands" by military means if Ukraine and the West "refuse substantive negotiations."
By "historical lands" are meant territories that were part of the Russian Empire and the USSR. In particular, Kremlin officials claim that the south and east of Ukraine, namely Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions, are the so-called "Novorossiya," which, according to the Kremlin, is at the same time an "integral part" of Russia.
Putin's statements continue to demonstrate that he will not be satisfied with a peace agreement based on the peace plan proposed by the United States. It implies that Russia must relinquish control over territories outside the occupied Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, and effectively freeze the front line in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
In addition, the Russian dictator instructed his military to create a so-called "buffer zone" in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
Putin's statement about seizing "historical territories of Russia" if Ukraine and the West refuse negotiations is likely intended to place responsibility for the continuation of hostilities not on Russia, which started this war, but on Ukraine and the West.