Photo: Still from video
Ukrainians and Russians are not the only people, despite the fact that they have much in common, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. During the direct line, Vladimir Putin previously said that Russians and Ukrainians are one people.
“I do not think that the Ukrainian people are hostile. Nothing like that, we don't care, “said the head of state. He added that “it is incomprehensible to the mind” that they refused to recognize the Russians as an indigenous population in Ukraine. Putin is convinced that this will reduce the number of Russians in the country.
“If we were one people, then the hryvnia would probably be circulating in Moscow and the yellow-blue flag would fly over the State Duma,” Zelensky said. He stressed that we are “definitely” not one people. However, the common goal should be to end the war in Donbas and “return” the territory to Ukraine.
“And one more thing – it is impossible to talk about” one people “at the same time and openly seize our territories and continue the Donbass massacre,” Zelenský added.
During the “straight line”, Vladimir Putin was asked why Ukraine was not included in the list of hostile countries announced by the government in May. The president explained that he considered Ukrainians and Russians to be “one whole.” According to him, in relation to Russia are not hostile people, but the current Ukrainian government.
In addition, Putin criticized the Kiev bill on indigenous peoples, where for some unknown reason we will not get the Russians, we call the measures comparable “using some weapon of mass destruction.” According to the President of the Russian Federation, such a decision may lead to the decision of some residents to leave Ukraine, after which the total number of Russians in the country will be significantly reduced.