Russia Does Not Question Ukraine's Territorial Integrity, Peskov Says

No one at an official level in the Russian Federation doubts Ukraine's territorial integrity, and experts are free to express any opinion. This statement was made on Thursday by the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, in response to a question from a Ukrainian journalist regarding a broad expert discussion sparked by the earlier publication of President Vladimir Putin's article on the 'historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians.'

'You know that no one officially questions Ukraine's territorial integrity. There have been no official statements on this matter,' Peskov said, commenting on the part of the material that pertains to the country’s original territorial composition. 'As for expert discussions, experts are free to discuss it as they wish,' the Kremlin representative added.

At the same time, the press secretary emphasized that even if experts belong to the ruling party, their opinions are in no way connected to the official position of the Russian Federation. In particular, he pointed out that deputies from 'United Russia' express a variety of opinions. 'In no way,' Peskov stated, responding to the question of whether modern Ukraine should regard such expert statements as territorial claims from Russia, especially with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Peskov also reminded that in his article, Putin spoke in general terms about the 'slow-acting mines' placed under the USSR and the legal principles concerning the establishment of union republics. 'As for the discussions, they are indeed very active. The article is very resonant, and it has drawn significant attention from various experts who are expressing different viewpoints,' Peskov emphasized.

It should be noted that on Monday, the article by the President of the Russian Federation, titled 'On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,' was published on the Kremlin’s website.