Putin also appealed for Ukraine to declare its “neutrality”
Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Ukraine has to recognize Russian sovereignty about Ukrainian villages controlled by Russia and formally declare his neutrality as steps to advance peace conversations.
The Ukrainian villages controlled by Russia, a region that once Putin designated by NovoRossiya (New Russia) are the localities that were incorporated into Russian territory following a referendum that neither the Ukrainian government nor its allies recognize, such as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporiyia.
NovoRossiya is a historical name rescued by the Russian President.
“It is necessary for Ukraine to recognize the results of the referendum in these four regions. It is in Ukraine’s interest to maintain friendly relationships in the long run,” the Russian President said in an interview with Sky News Arabia.
Putin also appealed for Ukraine to declare its “neutrality” and refrain from “adhering to any foreign alliance,” referring to NATO, two essential measures to “achieve stability in the region.”
“I hope the current leadership in Ukraine will be guided by national interests and not by third party interests,” he added, before accusing “external parties” of manipulating the Ukrainian authorities.
“Ukraine deserves a better destination than being an instrument in the hands of these parties, who are working against Russia,” Putin added.
Putin has been claiming all these issues practically since the 2014 crisis in Ukraine, the direct precedent of the current conflict that broke out with the country’s Russian invasion in 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has always replied that his country has no intention of accepting one of these demands and that the end of the conflict requires Russia withdrawal from all Ukrainian territories under its control.
However, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported today that Russia’s anti-aircraft defenses slaughtered 28 Ukrainian drones on Thursday night in four of its regions, with the Belgorod border region to which it recorded the largest number of victims.
“On June 20, between 22:00 and 23:55 local, anti -Simissal systems destroyed 23 drones
