Putin urges respect for Ukrainians’ identity, highlights mutual roots
Russian President Vladimir Putin believes it is important to respect Ukrainians’ national identity, but at the same time never lose sight of the fact that both countries have a common history.
"Once it happened like this and a big part of the Ukrainian population got a sense of their own national identity, etc., we should respect that," Putin said. "We should understand where we are now, but not forget who we are and where we come from," Putin told TASS in an interview for the project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin".
He pointed out that at a certain historical stage in areas sharing the border with the Catholic world "a community of people feeling to some extent independent from the Russian state began to emerge." "How should we feel about that? We should respect that. But we should not forget about our shared community."
"In the modern world our joint efforts bring us huge competitive advantages. And, vice versa, division makes us weaker. The Ukrainian factor was specifically played out on the eve of World War I by the Austrian special service. Why? It is well-known - to divide and rule," Putin explained.