Putin aide says Ukraine is ‘definitely Russia’, denies talks with Zelensky

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Dmitry Medvedev, vice chairman of Russia’s Security Council and an ally of President Vladimir Putin, said on Monday that Ukraine is part of Russia and ruled out peace talks with the current Ukrainian leadership.

In an offensive speech in southern Russia, Medvedev said Russia would prosecute what he called its “special military operation” until the other side surrenders. He said that what he called the historical part of Russia should “return home.”

Medvedev was speaking in front of a map of Ukraine, which showed the country as a very small landlocked region juxtaposed against Poland, with Russia in full control of the east, south and Black Sea coast.

“One of the former leaders of Ukraine said at some point that Ukraine is not Russia,” Medvedev said.

“That concept should disappear forever. Ukraine is definitely Russia,” he said to applause from the audience.

He ruled out peace talks with the current Ukrainian leadership led by President Volodymyr Zelensky and said that any future Ukrainian government that wants talks would need to recognize what he called the new reality on the ground.

Commenting on East-West relations, Medvedev, who accused US special forces and military advisers of waging a war against Russia, said relations between Moscow and Washington were worse than during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Andrew Osborne; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters,