Russia shows no signs of stopping in Ukraine. A recent report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) draws attention to alarming statements made by high-ranking Russian officials on 30 June.
On 30 June, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a videoconference meeting focused on the “development” of the occupied regions of Ukraine and integration them into Russia. In the days prior to this event, he expressed readiness for a new round of peace talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Putin is currently trying to deceive US President Donald Trump by pretending to show a willingness for peace to avoid new sanctions.
In particular, during a meeting on the socio-economic development of temporarily occupied territories, Russian President Vladimir Putin frequently used imperial terms such as “Donbas” and “Novorossiya” instead of the legally defined names of Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
Equally telling were the statements of his press secretary Dmitry Peskov, who responded to comments by Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov that “Odesa is not a Russian city” by referring to the “inseparable historical unity” of the city with Russia.
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Meanwhile, Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky once again repeated the Kremlin myth that “Ukrainians and Russians are one people.”
“Putin’s, Peskov’s, and Medinsky’s June 30 statements are only the latest statements from high-ranking Kremlin officials indicating the extent of Russia’s territorial ambitions,” notes the ISW.
Analysts add that the Russian leadership systematically denies Ukraine’s right to independent statehood, culture, language, and identity. The Kremlin openly demonstrates its intent to destroy the Ukrainian nation as a distinct subject of international law.