President Putin's Allies Affirm Ukraine Is Part Of Russia And'Must Return Home'

Dmitry Medvedev. (Twitter/@MedvedevRussiaE)

JAKARTA - Ukraine remains part of Russia and must return home, regardless of what Kyiv politicians say, Russian Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said.

"One of the former Ukrainian leaders once said Ukraine is not Russia. This concept must be lost forever. Ukraine of course is Russia," he said, quoted by TASS March 5.

Medvedev further noted, there should be no more attempt to ignore Russia's public opinion. "They have the right to regard Ukraine and its citizens as part of our civilization, which is entirely Russia. If Ukraine escapes the stupid trap created by the United States and its allies against our country with the help of Ukraine and uses this very anti-Russian entity, things may be different," he stressed.

According to the former president and ally of President Putin, had there been no "stealers who mocked, shy political and neo-Nazi chipsets" in Ukraine's leadership, history might have gone differently.

"If Kyiv leaders fulfill the realistic requirements of the Minsk Agreement at one time, then, perhaps, special military operations are not needed, as our president has properly observed," he said.

In the youth forum held in Sochi City, Medvedev said Moscow would carry out "special military operations" until the Ukrainian leadership gave up.

"The historic parts of the country must return home," he stressed, quoted by Reuters.

Medvedev spoke in front of a giant Ukrainian map showing the country is a much smaller region than its internationally recognized territory.

The map appears to describe a scenario where Ukraine will be pinched against Poland, with Kyiv remaining its capital, but Russia will control most of Ukraine's cities and the entire Black Sea coastline in the eastern, southern and entire Black Sea.

It is known that Russia has initiatives on the battlefield and controls less than a fifth of Ukraine's territory, which it claims as its own, but this scenario is very different from the situation on the ground.

"All of our enemies need to understand the simple facts: the region on both banks of the Dnipro River (which divides Ukraine) is an integral part of Russia's strategic and historical borders," he said.

Medvedev has ruled out peace talks with Ukraine's current leadership. He said future Ukrainian governments that want negotiations should recognize what he calls a new reality.