A close aide of Vladimir Putin has ominously suggested Ukraine may “cease to exist”, as speculation swirls over how US President- elect Donald Trump will look to back up campaign promises to negotiate a swift end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
In an interview with pro-Kremlin newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda discussing Trump’s second term, long-time Putin pal Nikolai Patrushev acknowledged that “a significant part of the world still looks to America” but argued that “the American elite itself is divided.”
The former secretary of Russia’s Security Council also said the Republican’s policies toward other nations continue to be “unclear.”
Asked about possible territorial concessions that could be agreed under Trump’s presidency, which begins in just days, Patrushev reportedly suggested by the end of 2025 Ukraine might be no longer be a sovereign state.
Patrushev first emphasised the “fraternal” bond Russians feel with Ukrainians due to “centuries-old ties with Russia” before repeating unsubstantiated Kremlin claims that “violent coercion into neo-Nazi ideology and rampant Russophobia” are to be blamed for the destruction of Ukraine’s cities, Newsweek reports.
“It can’t be ruled out that Ukraine will cease to exist at all in the coming year,” Patrushev said, though he didn’t elaborate further.
The Kremlin is yet to comment.
Trump, meanwhile, is yet to flesh out his aims for talks between Ukraine and Russia to end the fighting, something he has repeatedly claimed he could achieve in 24 hours.
When previously asked whether he thinks Ukraine should surrender occupied territories to Russia, the GOP firebrand responded that he would discuss it after his first meeting with Putin.
At another point in the interview, Patrushev slammed the leaders of Moldova in Chișinău for what he claimed was an “anti-Russian policy”, and suggested that Moldova’s days of independent statehood could be numbered too.
“I do not rule out that Chișinău’s aggressive anti-Russian policy will result in Moldova either becoming part of another state or ceasing to exist altogether,” he said, as per Newsweek.
Moldova’s Foreign Ministry fired back, saying in a statement published by Moldovan news outlet NewsMaker: “Such statements constitute unacceptable interference in our country’s internal affairs and are aimed at destabilizing the region.
“The Republic of Moldova is a sovereign state that is consistently pursuing the path of democracy and European integration in line with the will of its citizens.”
Last year, Russia was accused of paying voters to stop them from supporting Moldova from becoming a European Union member by 2030.
The pro-EU “Yes” campaign won, though by a much narrower margin than had been anticipated. The incumbent pro-EU president of the country Maia Sandu had claimed the alleged Russian involvement was an “unprecedented assault on democracy”.
Russia has denied allegations of meddling and at the time branded Moldova’s votes as “unfree”.
Moldova has begun talks with the bloc to become a member, with negotiations continuing despite the outcome of the referendum, as it was not legally binding, as per BBC News.
