Moscow stated that they do not rule out the possibility that Ukraine will cease to exist.
Russian presidential aide Nikolai Patrushev said in an interview with the pro-Kremlin publication Komsomolskaya Pravda that this could allegedly happen as early as 2025.
He also added that negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine should be conducted between Russia and the United States.
"If we talk about specific prospects for further developments taking into account the Trump factor, we respect his statements. I believe that negotiations on Ukraine should be conducted between Russia and the United States without the participation of other Western countries," Patrushev shared.
According to him, there is “no point in talking to London and Brussels.” Patrushev is sure that the EU leadership cannot speak on behalf of many of its members, including Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Romania, because these countries have a “considered position on Russia.”
In addition, in the interview, Patrushev stated about the “fraternal attitude” of Russians towards Ukrainians. He emphasized that Moscow is supposedly not indifferent to what is happening in Ukraine.
The Russian presidential aide also accused Ukraine of destroying its own cities.
“It is particularly disturbing that violent coercion to neo-Nazi ideology and fervent Russophobia are destroying once-thriving cities in Ukraine, including Kharkiv, Odessa, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk,” he said.