Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia has never divided Russians and Ukrainians.
He said this during his visit to Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil. His words are quoted by RIA Novosti.
“Everyone knows this: we have never made a difference between Russians and Ukrainians, between Russia and Ukraine,” the head of state said.
According to him, the overwhelming majority of people in Ukraine and the absolute majority of people in Russia have always believed that they are actually the same thing.
Putin also added that anti-Russian sentiments in Ukraine are rooted in history. He recalled that after the Great Patriotic War, some nationalist and Nazi elements who collaborated with Hitler fled abroad.
“They ran to the United States, to Canada, and our adversary relied on them,” the president said.
Earlier, Putin said that the only thing to regret is that Russia did not start active operations in Ukraine earlier.
