Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha sharply reacted to the statement made by Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he characterized as dubious in meaning and cynical in subtext
In his speech, Putin claimed that “wherever the foot of the Russian occupier steps — it becomes ours.” The Ukrainian diplomat called this remark “one of the insane statements” made by the Russian leader and emphasized that any manifestation of Russian military invasion will only bring death, destruction, and unimaginable human suffering. In a post on the social network X (formerly Twitter), Sybiha stressed that any step taken by Russian soldiers on Ukrainian land leads to destruction and tragedy, not to some imaginary “merging” of territories. “Wherever the Russian soldier steps, he ultimately brings only death, ruin, and devastation,” wrote the minister. He added that the Kremlin cares little about the fate of Russian soldiers or their legs, which Ukrainian drones have long been destroying on the battlefield. According to Sybiha, Putin has turned into a mass murderer of his own people — nearly a million Russian military personnel have been killed or wounded in the senseless, bloody conflict in Ukraine, with no strategic goals achieved. “One million soldiers — two million legs,” the diplomat underscored. Overall, Sybiha highlighted that the cynical accusations made by the Russian president demonstrate a complete disregard for the global efforts to achieve peace. “While the entire world calls for an immediate ceasefire and an end to bloodshed, the Russian regime continues to craft plans for new occupations of Ukrainian territories and further destruction of Ukraine’s peaceful population,” the Ukrainian diplomat stressed. He pointed out that Putin is busy sending his soldiers into new invasions, while at the same time destroying Russia’s economy from within — sanctions and isolation are increasingly depleting the country internally. “All this declarative rhetoric and rhetoric about sending Russian troops to conquer foreign lands are essentially just distractions from Russia’s fundamental internal issues and the failures of its foreign policy,” Sybiha noted. According to him, the goal of this is not only to strengthen the president’s role in internal propaganda but also to cover up his own disastrous governance, history of failures, and crises rooted in illusory “national ideals.” The Ukrainian minister is convinced that the only accessible path to forcing Russia to peace is to strengthen Ukraine’s defensive capabilities and implement the strictest possible economic sanctions against Moscow. “Only in this way can Russia be made to reconsider its ambitions and return to the negotiating table on fair terms,” Sybiha emphasized. Lastly, he added that messages like Putin’s references to “the unity of peoples” and “common history” are merely attempts to hide internal weakness and the strategic failure of the Kremlin leadership, which has long lacked a clear strategy and continues an aimless and destructive war. It is worth recalling that on June 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a plenary session, publicly stated that in the Russia-Ukraine war, “the Russian and Ukrainian peoples are one people,” and that wherever “the foot of the Russian occupier steps,” it allegedly becomes “ours.” This statement prompted another wave of sharp criticism worldwide, particularly in Ukraine, which insists that Russian aggression constitutes a violation of international law and an armed invasion, not “unity of peoples.” However, for Kyiv and most of the international community, it is important to once again emphasize that Moscow, through its aggression, is destroying not only Ukrainian cities but also global security, and that the response must be intensified support for the Ukrainian people and economic measures against Russia.