MOSCOW, Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukrainian territories currently under occupation must be fully integrated with the Russian Federation by the year 2030.
Ukraine's eastern Donbas
region has been illegally occupied by Russian forces since 2014, the same year
Russia illegally annexed Crimea. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February
2022, parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Mykolaiv oblasts remain under Russian
occupation.
Putin said that over the next
six years, the occupied regions "must reach the all-Russia level" by
developing in certain "key areas."
The speech painted a rosy
picture of the so-called "integration" process, with Putin claiming
"good momentum" on socio-economic development in the occupied
territories.
He also urged Russian
banks not to worry about Western sanctions.
"What is there to be
afraid of? We need to enter these (Ukrainian) territories more actively and
work there," Putin said, addressing his remarks to financial institutions.
Russian media reported on Feb.
1 that Turkish banks were closing accounts with Russian businesses due to
the threat of U.S. sanctions.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Dec. 22, 2023
sanctioning foreign financial institutions that contribute to Russia's war
effort.
According to analysts at the
Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Putin's remarks indicate that he is
preparing to remain at war with Ukraine over the long term.
"Russia is commencing
long-term plans and does not foresee any territorial concessions," the ISW
said on Feb. 1.
Bloomberg reported on Jan. 26 that Putin has signaled
willingness to enter into peace talks, and that he would drop opposition to
Ukraine joining NATO in exchange for control over Ukraine's occupied
territories.
Russian-occupied regions
constitute about 18% of Ukraine's territory. Kyiv has said that a condition of
any peace plan is Russia's complete withdrawal from Ukrainian lands.
Ukrainian and Western leaders
have also repeatedly said that they do not believe Moscow is
interested in good-faith peace negotiations.
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