Russia might try to take Ukrainian city of Sumy, Putin says
SAINT PETERSBURG: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he did not 'rule out' his forces attempting to seize the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, casting fresh doubt over the prospect of peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
Ukraine said Putin's comments showed 'disdain' for the peace process.
Diplomatic efforts to end the three-year conflict have stalled in recent weeks and Kyiv has accused Moscow of deliberately sabotaging a peace deal to prolong its full-scale offensive on the country.
Russia currently occupies around a fifth of Ukraine and has claimed four Ukrainian regions as its own since launching its assault in 2022, in addition to Crimea, which it captured in 2014.
The Sumy region is not one of the regions Moscow has formally annexed, although Russian forces have recently made inroads there for the first time in three years.
At Russia's flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg, Putin suggested Moscow could take Sumy as part of the creation of a 'buffer zone' along the border and repeated his denial of Ukrainian statehood.
'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 said.
'I consider Russians and Ukrainians to be one people. In that sense, all of Ukraine is ours,' he told attendees, when asked why his army was entering areas Moscow did not claim as its own.
'There is a saying: wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that is ours.'
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga described Putin's comments as 'deranged' and called for Kyiv's allies to slap 'devastating sanctions' on Russia.
'The only way to force Russia into peace is to deprive it of its sense of impunity,' he wrote in a post on X.
Putin's widening territorial ambitions are likely to roil Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,
who has accused Moscow of not wanting to end the fighting.
The two sides held rounds of direct talks in Istanbul in May and in June, but Kyiv accused Moscow of sending 'dummy' negotiators with no real power to enact a peace deal.
Putin has declined to take part in the peace talks in person and on Thursday said he would only meet Zelensky during a 'final phase' of negotiations on ending the three-year conflict.
He has also insisted Ukraine give up territory it already controls for peace.
Kyiv says it cannot and will not accept Russian occupation of any part of its land.
In his address Friday, Putin denied he was calling for Ukraine to 'capitulate.'
'We are not seeking Ukraine's surrender. We insist on recognition of the realities that have developed on the ground,' the Russian leader said.
Putin repeated that Moscow was 'advancing on all fronts' and that his troops had penetrated up to 12 kilometers (seven miles) into the Sumy region.
He also accused Kyiv of 'stupidity' by launching an incursion into Russia's Kursk region last August.
'They are creating problems for themselves,' he said.
Russia has for months been rejecting calls for an unconditional ceasefire, launching deadly attacks on its neighbor.
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Arab News
10 hours ago
- Arab News
Russia might try to take Ukrainian city of Sumy, Putin says
SAINT PETERSBURG: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he did not 'rule out' his forces attempting to seize the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, casting fresh doubt over the prospect of peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv. Ukraine said Putin's comments showed 'disdain' for the peace process. Diplomatic efforts to end the three-year conflict have stalled in recent weeks and Kyiv has accused Moscow of deliberately sabotaging a peace deal to prolong its full-scale offensive on the country. Russia currently occupies around a fifth of Ukraine and has claimed four Ukrainian regions as its own since launching its assault in 2022, in addition to Crimea, which it captured in 2014. The Sumy region is not one of the regions Moscow has formally annexed, although Russian forces have recently made inroads there for the first time in three years. At Russia's flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg, Putin suggested Moscow could take Sumy as part of the creation of a 'buffer zone' along the border and repeated his denial of Ukrainian statehood. '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 said. 'I consider Russians and Ukrainians to be one people. In that sense, all of Ukraine is ours,' he told attendees, when asked why his army was entering areas Moscow did not claim as its own. 'There is a saying: wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that is ours.' Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga described Putin's comments as 'deranged' and called for Kyiv's allies to slap 'devastating sanctions' on Russia. 'The only way to force Russia into peace is to deprive it of its sense of impunity,' he wrote in a post on X. Putin's widening territorial ambitions are likely to roil Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has accused Moscow of not wanting to end the fighting. The two sides held rounds of direct talks in Istanbul in May and in June, but Kyiv accused Moscow of sending 'dummy' negotiators with no real power to enact a peace deal. Putin has declined to take part in the peace talks in person and on Thursday said he would only meet Zelensky during a 'final phase' of negotiations on ending the three-year conflict. He has also insisted Ukraine give up territory it already controls for peace. Kyiv says it cannot and will not accept Russian occupation of any part of its land. In his address Friday, Putin denied he was calling for Ukraine to 'capitulate.' 'We are not seeking Ukraine's surrender. We insist on recognition of the realities that have developed on the ground,' the Russian leader said. Putin repeated that Moscow was 'advancing on all fronts' and that his troops had penetrated up to 12 kilometers (seven miles) into the Sumy region. He also accused Kyiv of 'stupidity' by launching an incursion into Russia's Kursk region last August. 'They are creating problems for themselves,' he said. Russia has for months been rejecting calls for an unconditional ceasefire, launching deadly attacks on its neighbor.
Al Arabiya
13 hours ago
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Putin says ‘the whole of Ukraine is ours' in theory, may take city of Sumy
President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russians and Ukrainians were one people, 'and in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours,' and said he did not rule out Russia taking control of the Ukrainian city of Sumy. But Putin, speaking at an international economic forum in St Petersburg, said Russia had never doubted Ukraine's right to sovereignty, but noted that when Ukraine declared its independence in 1991 it was as a 'neutral state.' Putin, who says Russia is fighting in Ukraine to protect its own security, was answering a question about Russia's war aims. 'We have a saying, or a parable,' Putin said. 'Where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours.' Kyiv and its Western allies have rejected Moscow's claims to four Ukrainian regions and Crimea as illegal, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected the notion that Russians and Ukrainians are one people. Putin said Russian forces were carving out a buffer zone in Ukraine's Sumy region in order to protect Russian territory and said he did not rule out those same troops taking control of the regional capital of Sumy.
Al Arabiya
14 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
An adviser to an ex-Ukrainian president is killed near an American school in Spain, officials say
An adviser to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was shot to death Wednesday outside the American School of Madrid where at least one of his children was enrolled, Spanish authorities and witnesses said. Andrii Portnov, 51, was shot at 9:15 a.m. (0715 GMT) as students were arriving, Spain's Interior Ministry said. Portnov was a former politician tied closely to Yanukovych, the pro-Moscow president of Ukraine from 2010 until he was ousted in a popular uprising in 2014 after shelving plans to bring the country closer to the European Union and instead deepen ties with President Vladimir Putin's Russia. Yanukovych's ouster in February 2014 followed a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters, with dozens of people killed, many by police snipers. Portnov was deputy head of the presidential office in that period and was involved in drafting legislation aimed at punishing participants of the uprising. Ukrainian authorities opened a treason case against him, which was later closed, and he also was the subject of US sanctions involving corruption in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on Portnov's killing. Witnesses said Portnov was shot several times in the head and body by more than one gunman when he was getting into a Mercedes Benz registered to him, police said. The unidentified assailants then fled on foot, and local media reported police helicopters later flew over a nearby park. Portnov died in the parking lot with at least three shots to his body, Madrid's emergency services said. He had one child enrolled at the school, according to a parent and an uncle of students there who spoke with The Associated Press. The school declined to comment. After fleeing Ukraine in 2014, Portnov reportedly lived in Russia in 2015 before relocating to Austria. It wasn't immediately clear when he moved to Spain. In 2018, when pro-Western Petro Poroshenko was president of Ukraine, the country's Security Service, or SBU, opened an investigation against Portnov on suspicion of state treason, alleging his involvement in Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. The criminal case was closed in 2019, three months after Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to power. The United States imposed personal sanctions on Portnov in 2021, designating him as someone 'responsible for or complicit in, or (who) has directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery.' Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there have been a number of killings of high-profile figures linked to Moscow and Kyiv. The killings have included Darya Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist; military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky; and several high-ranking Russian military officers. In those instances, Ukraine denied involvement. One exception was former Ukrainian lawmaker Illia Kyva, who fled to Russia before the invasion and was killed there in 2023. The SBU said in a statement that its chief, Vasyl Maliuk, has said 'the enemies of Ukraine will definitely be held accountable for their crimes.' One killing that prompted speculation of retaliation by Moscow was the shooting death in Spain last year of Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who defected to Ukraine in 2023, although there was no independent confirmation of Russia's involvement. Police cordoned off a crime scene in a parking lot outside the gate of the American School of Madrid, located in the upscale town of Pozuelo de Alarcón, north of Madrid. Luis Rayo, 19, who lives in a neighboring building, said he was sleeping when he heard gunfire and went to see what happened. One student who is in 11th grade said he was 20 minutes into his first class when he and his classmates heard of the shooting. School administrators told students that a man had been shot and pronounced dead outside. 'I thought it was a drill,' he said. 'I was worried because at first I thought it might be a parent of someone I know.' His mother, who is originally from Azerbaijan, said she knew someone through the emigré community with the same first name as the victim but did not know him well. 'I didn't know there were Ukrainian politicians there,' she said, adding that the man she knew had a son in the fourth grade. 'I was in shock. Like how is it possible that this happens here?'
