«This is not their territory — it’s the territory of historic Russia. All the more so since the people living in these territories voted, first, for state independence, and then, as a second step — and I want to emphasize this — voted for reunification with the Russian Federation,» he stressed.

Russia «does not want to fight with Ukraine.» «But if today’s Ukrainian leadership wants to fight, then let them fight. But why do they think everyone should pay for it and supply them with weapons?» Putin said.