The owner and editor-in-chief of a Russian newspaper has seemingly defied Russian President Vladimir Putin by suggesting that Ukrainians “do not want to see any future together with Russia.”
Owner and editor of Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Konstantin Remchukov, made the comments in a column for the paper this week.
First reported and translated by the BBC‘s Moscow Correspondent Steven Rosenberg, the column also states that “Russia recognises that a significant number of Ukrainians choose the current government in the country.”
This appears to contradict much of Putin’s previous comments about the government in Ukraine.
Putin has previously referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government as “Nazis”.
Mr Remchukov wrote: “Today, Russia recognizes that a significant number of Ukrainians choose the current government in the country, consider themselves Ukrainians, and do not want to see any future together with Russia.
“In this way, the Russian leadership recognises the state of Ukraine. When the narrative is spread in the West that Moscow wants to destroy Ukraine as a state, this is an obvious discrepancy with today’s realities.”
Elsewhere in the article, Mr Remchukov says Putin “has no intention of retiring” from his role as president.
He added: “The task of ensuring the country’s security and protecting Russians and Russian speakers in Ukraine… has become the main existential meaning of [Putin’s] rule. He cannot transfer power to anyone until this issue is finally resolved, secured by international guarantees.”
He then talks about potential peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The newspaper owner continued: “Today it is absolutely clear that the world… is ripe for real negotiations on [the risk of a nuclear threat].
“When talking about possible negotiations, the West does not even mention the topic of the legitimacy of [President Volodymyr] Zelensky’s signature in Putin’s eyes… Zelensky did not extend his powers properly.”
Mr Remchukov also appears to suggest that Russia does not need to have Ukraine within its sphere of influence.
He said: “It is time to decisively abandon the notion, once sown by [Polish-American Diplomat Zbigniew] Brzezinski, that Russia‘s greatness is based on unity with Ukraine.
“They say, tear Ukraine out of Moscow’s sphere of influence, and Russia as a great power will come to an end. Today it is obvious that Russia exists in the world regardless of the degree of closeness to any country.”
This is despite the fact that Putin has claimed Russians and Ukrainians are “one people.”