Putin claims all of Ukraine as "ours", hints at possible seizure of Sumy

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Friday that he considers the entirety of Ukraine to be "ours" and suggested that Russian forces could move to capture the Ukrainian city of Sumy as part of efforts to establish a buffer zone along the border.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister condemned the remarks, calling them proof of Moscow’s disregard for U.S. peace efforts and a clear sign that Russia remains intent on expanding its territorial gains and inflicting further devastation on Ukraine.

Currently, Russia occupies approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, nearly all of Luhansk, and large portions of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, as well as parts of the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said he believed Russians and Ukrainians were “one people,” and therefore, “in that sense, the whole of Ukraine is ours.”

Kyiv and its Western allies reject Russia’s annexation claims over Crimea and the four partially occupied regions, labeling them illegal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly dismissed the notion that Russians and Ukrainians are a single people and has compared Putin’s conditions for peace to outright surrender.

Although Putin stated he wasn’t challenging Ukraine’s sovereignty or the people’s desire for independence, he pointed out that Ukraine had declared neutrality when it became independent following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

He reiterated that any prospect for peace hinged on Ukraine acknowledging the “reality on the ground” — a phrase often used by Moscow to describe its control over vast Ukrainian territory, an area larger than the U.S. state of Virginia.

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

‘Utter Disregard’

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, posting in English on social media platform X, responded: “Putin’s cynical statements demonstrate complete disdain for U.S. peace efforts.”

“While the U.S. and the international community push for an end to the violence, Russia’s top war criminal talks about plans to seize more Ukrainian territory and kill more Ukrainians.”

“Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot,” Sybiha continued, “he brings only death, destruction, and devastation.”

In his nightly video address, President Zelenskyy accused Russia of openly rejecting any ceasefire. “Russia wants the war to continue,” he said.

Zelenskyy also noted that Ukrainian military leaders had discussed the situation in the northern Sumy region, stating that Russia had “various plans and intentions — completely mad as always. We are repelling them and eliminating the invaders, defending our Sumy region.”

Putin, for his part, said that Russian troops were working to establish a security buffer in the Sumy region to protect Russian territory.

“The next target could be the city of Sumy, the regional capital. Taking it is not our objective for now, but I wouldn’t rule it out,” he said.