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Kremlin emphasizes Russia not calling Ukraine’s territorial integrity into question

"As for expert discussions, experts are free to discuss the issue in the way they want," Dmitry Peskov stressed
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov Valery Sharifulin/TASS
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, July 15. /TASS/. Nobody in Russia is officially calling into question Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and experts are free to express their opinion, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

The Russian presidential spokesman thus responded to a question by a Ukrainian journalist about a broad expert discussion that was sparked by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s article "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians".

"You know that no one is officially calling Ukraine’s territory integrity into question. There have been no official statements on this score, and there are none of them at present," Peskov said, commenting, in particular, on the experts’ discussion around the part of Putin’s article that spelled out Russia’s initial territorial structure.

"As for expert discussions, experts are free to discuss the issue in the way they want," the Kremlin spokesman stressed.

Even if experts belong to the ruling party, their opinion is not linked with Russia’s official position in any way, Peskov emphasized.

The Kremlin press secretary pointed out, in particular, that lawmakers had been expressing different opinions on the platform of the ruling United Russia party.

"By no means," Peskov said, in response to the question about whether contemporary Ukraine with its incumbent leader Vladimir Zelensky should fear such expert statements and view them as Russia’s territorial claims.

The Kremlin spokesman also emphasized that in his article, Putin generally spoke about "the time bombs" planted under the USSR’s foundation and the legal principles of the formation of the Soviet republics.

"As for the discussion, it is, indeed, unfolding very actively. The article is really a high-profile publication and is drawing great attention from various experts, who hold different points of view," Peskov stressed.