Last Updated: June 20, 2025, 23:23 IST

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin addressed questions regarding Russia’s objectives in Ukraine, reiterating his view that the military campaign is intended to safeguard Russian security.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people” and declared that “in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours,” while also stating that he does not rule out Russian forces taking control of the Ukrainian city of Sumy.

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“We have a saying, or a parable,” Putin said. “Where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours.”

While reaffirming his position on the unity of Russians and Ukrainians, Putin also said, “Russia has never doubted Ukraine’s right to sovereignty,” but added that Ukraine had declared independence in 1991 as a “neutral state.”

Putin said Russian troops were establishing a buffer zone in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region to prevent attacks on Russian territory and did not exclude the possibility of those forces eventually seizing the city of Sumy itself.

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Kyiv and Western governments have repeatedly condemned Russia’s claims over Ukrainian territory, including four annexed regions and Crimea, as illegal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has revived a controversial narrative, claiming that theoretically “all of Ukraine is ours.” He also sparked more immediate concerns with comments about seizing Ukraine’s city of Sumy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people” and that, in that sense, “all of Ukraine is ours.”

The assertion underscores Moscow’s continued underlying rejection of Ukrainian sovereignty and raises renewed alarm over Russia’s territorial ambitions.

What did Putin say about Ukraine’s sovereignty?

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday, Putin issued a series of provocative remarks, notably stating: “We have a saying… where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours.”

He was responding to a question about Russia’s objectives for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022.

The Russian leader emphasized that while Russia “never doubted” Ukraine’s sovereignty after its 1991 independence, it had declared itself a neutral state — a stance he accused Ukraine of having abandoned.

Reiterating a longstanding narrative, he said Russians and Ukrainians were essentially the same nation — a position Kyiv and its Western allies categorically reject.

“I have said many times that I consider the Russian and Ukrainian peoples to be one people. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours,” Putin said.

Ukraine said Putin’s comments showed his “disdain” for the peace process.

“Putin’s cynical statements demonstrate complete disdain for US peace efforts,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said in a post on X. “The only way to force Russia into peace is to deprive it of its sense of impunity.”

What did Putin say about Sumy?

Among the key developments, Putin said he did not “rule out” the capture of the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, which lies roughly 30 kilometers (just over 18 miles) from the Russian border.

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“We have no objective to take Sumy but, in principle, I do not rule it out,” he said, accusing Ukrainian forces of persistently shelling Russian border areas. He added that Russian troops had already penetrated up to 12 kilometers into Ukrainian territory in the Sumy region to create what he called a protective “buffer zone.”

Sumy, though not among the five Ukrainian regions Moscow claims to have annexed — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea — has been a frequent target of Russian attacks. It also served as a launching point for a Ukrainian counteroffensive into Russia’s western Kursk region last August, during which Kyiv’s forces briefly captured dozens of settlements before being pushed back by Russian troops — bolstered by thousands of North Korean soldiers, according to reports.

Putin’s remarks come amid growing skepticism over the viability of peace negotiations, with Moscow continuing to demand further Ukrainian territorial concessions as a precondition for any ceasefire.

Edited by Sean Sinico

Vladimir Putin has stated that he has not tasked Russian troops with occupying the city of Sumy, but does not rule out that possibility.

The Russian dictator made this comment during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Ukrinform reports, citing Current Time.

When asked about the Russian army’s incursion into the Sumy region, Putin said: “They [the Ukrainian Armed Forces] came into our Kursk region and committed crimes. We pushed them out. And now we are forced to create a security zone along the border. We don’t have the task of taking Sumy, but in principle, I don’t rule it out.”

According to Putin, Russia is “creating a security zone” along the border with the Sumy region that is 8 to 12 kilometers deep.

He also repeated a long-standing propaganda claim, saying that “Russians and Ukrainians are one people, and in that sense, all of Ukraine is ours.”

“There’s an old rule: wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that’s ours,” he said.

At the same time, Putin claimed he is not seeking Ukraine’s capitulation but rather the recognition of so-called “realities on the ground.” This was his response to the moderator’s question comparing U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to Iran’s nuclear program with Russia’s war in Ukraine:

“We are not seeking Ukraine’s surrender. We insist on accepting the realities on the ground,” he said.

Today, June 20, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that Russians and Ukrainians are one people, “and in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours.” The Russian President further said that he did not rule out Russia taking control of the Ukrainian city of Sumy. Putin’s statement, when he was speaking at the international economic forum in St Petersburg, reports Reuters. He also said that Russia had never doubted Ukraine’s right to sovereignty, but further noted that when Ukraine declared its independence in 1991, it was as a “neutral state”. Vladimir Putin also said that Russian forces were carving out a buffer zone in Ukraine’s Sumy region to protect Russian territory. He further said that he did not rule out those same troops taking control of the regional capital of Sumy. Vladimir Putin Boasts About Russia’s Economy Despite Recession Fears.

Russians and Ukrainians Are One People, Says Vladimir Putin

NOW – Putin: “Russians and Ukrainians are one people, and in that sense, the whole of Ukraine is ours.” pic.twitter.com/QNhF9oyp2l — Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) June 20, 2025

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President Vladimir Putin said Friday he did not “rule out” his forces taking control of Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy as part of efforts to create a buffer zone along the border.

“We have no objective to take Sumy, but in principle I do not rule it out… They pose a constant threat to us, constantly shelling the border areas,” Putin told Russia’s flagship economic forum in St. Petersburg.

Sumy is around 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Russian border and has been heavily targeted since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.

In a string of hawkish remarks, Putin appeared to repeat his denial of Ukrainian statehood.

“I consider Russians and Ukrainians to be one people. In that sense, all of Ukraine is ours,” he said.

“There is a saying: wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that is ours.”