Putin claims Russians and Ukrainians are 'one people', asserts historical territory

Vladimir Putin: Vladimir Putin is the President of Russia. In a recent interview, he cited unspecified genetic studies to assert that Russians and Ukrainians are one people and described occupied Ukrainian territories as the historical territory of Russia rather than belonging to Ukraine. He also stated Russia's readiness to resume trilateral negotiations with Ukraine and the United States aimed at achieving a final peace agreement with security guarantees. {"Negotiation Stance": "Russian leadership has signaled openness to talks while insisting any agreement must deliver final peace and security arrangements for Russia, Ukraine, and Europe rather than a temporary ceasefire.", "Territorial Position": "The Kremlin continues to frame eastern Ukrainian regions as historically Russian land and rejects descriptions of them as Ukrainian territorial losses in any potential settlement."}