Putin claims Russia is not seeking Ukraine's complete surrender

 He made this remark during the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), according to TASS.

“We are not seeking Ukraine’s surrender. We insist on recognition of the realities that have developed on the ground,” Putin said.

In this context, “recognition of the realities on the ground” refers to Russia’s demand that Ukraine acknowledge the occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian.

“You know, we have not a proverb or a parable, but an ancient rule: wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that land is ours,” Putin said.

He also repeated the familiar Russian narrative about the so-called “one people.”

 “I’ve already said that I consider the Russian and Ukrainian peoples to be one people. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours,” the Russian dictator declared.

Additionally, Putin hinted at the possibility of occupying Sumy, though he noted that there is currently no such objective.

• On June 20, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia allegedly has a strategic advantage, so it refuses to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.