Putin said Ukraine has almost completely lost its sovereignty

Ukraine has practically lost its sovereignty, now it is almost nil. Russian President Vladimir Putin said this on January 28.

"Ukraine's sovereignty is almost zero," the president said in a conversation with VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin.

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Also in the conversation with Zarubin, the Russian leader said that the conflict in Ukraine could end after one and a half to two months if Kiev runs out of ammunition and Western funding. In addition, Putin said that "anyone" can negotiate with Russia from Ukraine's side, but legitimate people should sign documents on the results of the decisions. He also noted that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky could not sign the agreements because his powers as head of state expired in May 2024.

In addition, Putin shared that in 2022, Russia offered Ukraine to withdraw from the territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DNR, LNR) to avoid conflict. He also recalled that the talks started immediately after the start of the special military operation (SMO).

The last round of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place on March 29, 2022 in Istanbul. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kiev officially refused contacts with Moscow. On October 4, 2022, the Ukrainian president enforced the decision of the country's National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of holding talks with Putin.