Putin will not abandon territorial claims in Ukraine: goals extend beyond occupied regions - Atlantic Council

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is not going to abandon the idea of territorial seizures in Ukraine. His claims extend far beyond the already occupied regions, reports UNN with reference to Atlantic Council.

Details

As analysts note, such rhetoric is not new for Putin, as the Kremlin dictator has long used historical arguments to justify the war against Ukraine. He has repeatedly compared the current full-scale invasion of Ukraine to the wars of the Russian Emperor Peter I in the 18th century.

But the current statements were made against the backdrop of discussions in the US and Europe about the possibilities of a compromise peace with the Kremlin, the study says.

Context

The Russian dictator confirmed his intention to seize territories that he considers "historical lands of Russia." This primarily refers to the south and east of Ukraine.

Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Georgy Tikhiy noted that the Russian Federation, led by Vladimir Putin, denied Ukraine's right to exist 13 years before Euromaidan.

Recall

Back in 2005, during a speech to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Putin stated that the collapse of the Soviet Union was the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century" for Russia.

He also repeatedly made statements that "the Soviet Union is historical Russia, which simply had a different name." He spoke about this in 2011 and 2022.

Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andriy Kovalenko stated that Vladimir Putin's Russia cannot be returned to the civilized world, just as it was impossible to create democracy in Russia during the time of its first president, Boris Yeltsin. According to him, democracy in Russia is possible only if the Russian Federation disintegrates as a state.