Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has once again stated that Moscow considers as its own those territories where “the foot of a Russian soldier steps.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga responded that while the Russian army is trying to seize something in other countries, the Russian economy is deteriorating.
Putin repeated old narratives about “one people”
Putin spoke at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, where he was asked about where the Russian army could go in Ukraine.
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“I have already said that Russians and Ukrainians are one people. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours,” the dictator said.
“There is such an old rule. Where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours,” he added.
The Russian president also suggested that the Russian army could capture Sumy as part of the creation of a “security zone”.
Zelensky responded to “Ayatollah Putin”
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that today at the meeting of the Headquarters there was a detailed report on the Sumy region and the situation on the border. The head of state thanked the Armed Forces for their fortitude.
“The Russians had different plans and intentions there – completely insane, as always. We are containing and destroying these murderers, defending our Sumy region,” Zelensky emphasized.
The President emphasized that the Russian Federation wants to fight and “threatens with something else there.” This, in his opinion, means that Russia “is not yet hurt by the pressure that the world is exerting, or they are trying very hard to pretend.”
Zelensky recalled that the Russian economy is deteriorating, and this process, according to him, needs to be intensified.
“Ayatollah Putin can see from his friends in Iran what such regimes come to and to what backwardness they bring their country,” the president noted.
Sibiga commented on Putin's statement “about the soldier's leg”
The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Andriy Sybiga, responded to the Russian dictator’s speech. He emphasized that “Putin’s cynical statements demonstrate disdain for the US’s peace efforts.”
“While the United States and the rest of the world are calling for an immediate end to the killings, Russia's top war criminal is discussing plans to seize more Ukrainian territory and kill even more Ukrainians,” the minister said.
Of all Putin’s “insane statements,” Sibiga singled out one – about the leg of a Russian soldier.
— In fact, wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, he brings only death, destruction and devastation, — the head of the Foreign Ministry said. — Putin does not care about Russian soldiers or their legs, torn apart by Ukrainian drones. He is a mass murderer of his own people. He has already destroyed a million Russian soldiers in a senseless bloodbath in Ukraine, without achieving a single strategic goal. One million soldiers. Two million legs.
The Foreign Minister added that while Putin is sending Russian troops to invade other countries, the economic situation in Russia is rapidly deteriorating.
According to Sibiga, Putin’s “cynical” statements serve one purpose – to distract public attention from the failure of his rule, which has lasted a quarter of a century.
— The only way to force Russia to peace is to deprive it of its sense of impunity. Increase support for Ukraine's defense and deal a strong blow to the Russian economy with destructive sanctions. Recognize Russia as a terrorist state. Completely isolate it. Bring Moscow back to its senses, — the minister emphasized.
