The Russian president said Ukraine must recognize 2022 referenda results in four regions he claims to have annexed.

President Vladimir Putin said he isn’t seeking Ukraine’s “capitulation” as a way to end the war, even as he reiterated his claim that the two countries are one people.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that in his view the whole of Ukraine was "ours" and cautioned that advancing Russian forces could take the Ukrainian city of Sumy as part of a bid to carve out a buffer zone along the border.