The Kremlin said on Tuesday that many Ukrainians want to be part of Russia. This statement came after former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine “may be Russian someday.”
Trump spoke about the war between Russia and Ukraine in a Fox News interview on Monday. He said Ukraine “may make a deal” or “may not make a deal” and that it “may be Russian someday.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Trump’s words were mostly true. He claimed that a large part of Ukraine already wants to be part of Russia. He referred to Russia’s 2022 annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
Peskov also said that any event has a 50% chance of happening, meaning either “yes or no.”
Trump has promised to end the war if he returns to office. However, he has not shared a clear plan on how he would do this. Both Russia and Ukraine have welcomed his focus on ending the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is open to direct talks with Trump. Over the weekend, the New York Post reported that Trump had already spoken privately with Putin about the war. The Kremlin refused to confirm or deny the report.
No Direct Talks Yet
Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have refused to talk directly. So far, no agreement seems likely.
Ukraine wants strong security guarantees, such as NATO membership or Western peacekeeping troops. Without these, Kyiv fears that Russia will attack again in the future.
Putin demands that Ukraine withdraw from the areas Russia claims, especially in the south and east. He also opposes Ukraine getting closer to NATO.
Zelenskyy refuses to give up any land to Russia. However, he has admitted that Ukraine may need diplomacy to regain some lost territories.
Russia says it has annexed five Ukrainian regions: Crimea in 2014, and Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia in 2022. However, it does not fully control them.
Zelenskyy will meet U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference on Friday. Trump is sending his envoy, Keith Kellogg, to Ukraine this month to discuss peace efforts.
Fighting Continues
Both Russia and Ukraine are trying to gain an advantage before possible talks.
On Tuesday, Russia said its troops had captured Yasenove, a small village in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Overnight, both countries launched attacks on each other’s energy facilities.
Ukraine said it struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region, causing a fire. The Ukrainian military warned that such strikes would continue.
Russia reported a drone attack on an industrial site but did not give details. Moscow also said it hit Ukrainian gas and energy sites that support Kyiv’s army.
Ukraine’s gas company, Naftogaz, confirmed that a Russian attack damaged one of its facilities in the Poltava region. Temporary power cuts were put in place across Ukraine on Tuesday morning.
Russia has been bombing Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for months, saying these attacks weaken Ukraine’s military. Ukraine has also attacked Russian energy and military targets. Moscow accused Kyiv of using U.S. and British weapons to strike deep into Russian territory.