"Returning occupied territories to Ukraine will never be on the table for Moscow": Portnykov explains why and how this could change

He shared this opinion on Espreso TV.

"Putin couldn’t even define the terms under which his troops would regain control of the Kursk region. It’s just as unclear when the Russians plan to take full control of all the Ukrainian regions they’ve declared as part of Russia. They’ve decided to fight for these territories for years, using them as a springboard for seizing the rest of Ukraine’s land. I’m talking about Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. They’re not just occupying these areas — they’ve launched reconstruction programs and are pouring billions of rubles into them," Portnykov said.

He pointed out that expecting the occupied territories to return to Ukraine through political agreements is unrealistic. Ukraine’s borders will depend on the areas it can defend militarily.

"Everyone can see that Russia is spending far more on the Donetsk and Luhansk regions than on places like Primorsky Krai or other parts of its Far East. This clearly shows they intend to stay on Ukrainian land for the long haul. They’re not planning to leave the temporarily occupied territories; instead, they’re turning them into ordinary Russian regions, investing heavily in infrastructure and development. I firmly believe that as long as the Russian Federation is run by FSB officials and people steeped in chauvinistic ideologies, the issue of returning Ukraine’s occupied territories won’t even be up for discussion. Hoping for a political solution that sees Russian troops leaving Ukrainian land is futile. Ukraine will exist only within the borders it can protect by force against Russian aggression," he stressed.

• On December 22, it was reported that newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump stated he would wait for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss resolving the war in Ukraine.
• The same day, it was revealed that Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to consider peace talks with Russia and potentially give up claims to the occupied territories.
• Trump’s future special envoy, Keith Kellogg, expressed confidence that both Ukraine and Russia are ready for peace negotiations.
• On December 26, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Russia’s willingness to hold “consultations on Ukraine” with the Trump administration, expressing hope that the U.S. would “address the root causes of the conflict.”
• Lavrov also claimed that France had repeatedly proposed dialogue to resolve the conflict without Ukraine’s involvement.