MOSCOW, June 9. Calling Russians a non-indigenous people of Ukraine is not only incorrect but funny and stupid, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview aired Wednesday. “It is an obvious fact that the people who joined the Russian state with these territories were calling themselves Russians. Therefore, to speak about Russians as a non-indigenous people is not simply incorrect, but funny and stupid,” Putin said. “This does not correspond to history at all.” Speaking about his own attitude to the Ukrainian bill “on indigenous peoples,” Putin recalled the history of Ukraine. He noted that people who lived in modern Ukraine in the 17th century “considered themselves and called themselves Russians and Orthodox Christians.” Putin regretted that he could not talk about it in detail within the TV interview format. “By the way, you’ve suggested a good idea: to speak about it in more substance and detail. Maybe, I should prepare a dedicated article, as I did in regards to the beginning of the World War I. I will think about it,” he added.
Bilateral relations between Russia and Ukraine
Problems in the bilateral relations between Russia and Ukraine should be the main topic on the agenda in case the two leaders hold a meeting rather than international security, Putin said.
“It is not even about that monstrous bill (on indigenous peoples of Ukraine – TASS), the case is that when we asked at the administration level what we can talk about [at a possible bilateral meeting], we were told that <…> it was generally proposed to talk about international security. Of course, international security is an important aspect of the situation in the world, particularly for Russia and Ukraine. However, I think that there are so many problems in our bilateral ties that we should talk about that,” Putin said. The Russian leader also couldn’t explain what Kiev meant by topics of international security. “I don’t really know. Maybe they want to discuss Donbass with us. However, these are issues of global nature. We believe that each member of the international conversation has the right to discuss such issues, including Ukraine, but problem points in the bilateral ties should be addressed first,” he concluded.
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