The Institute of the Study of War said in its latest assessment that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin continues to reject the idea of Ukrainian sovereignty in a way that is fundamentally incompatible with serious negotiations. During a speech at the Valdai Discussion Club on Oct. 27, Putin said that the “single real guarantee of Ukrainian sovereignty” can only be Russia, which “created” Ukraine.
"Putin reiterated that it is a 'historical fact' that Ukrainians and Russians are fundamentally “one people” that were wrongly separated into 'different states,'" the ISW reports. "Putin’s perpetuation of the narrative that Ukraine and Russia are a single people separated into different states by arbitrary historical circumstance indicates his continued objective to destroy the Ukrainian state and erase the notion of a Ukrainian people."
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