MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions are historically Russian lands and the key aspects of their development need to be enhanced to meet today’s Russian standards as soon as possible, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the supervisory board of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives.

"We say ‘new’ (about the four regions - TASS) just conventionally. Because we know well from history that they are Russian regions," he emphasized.

According to the president, "all these territories need to reach the average Russian development level over the time frame of the current decade, and the sooner the better," the head of state maintained.

Putin said the development of the new Russian regions must progress at a measured pace and shouldn’t take up the entire decade.

He highlighted that the key areas of activity for the ASI are the dissemination of its best practices, and the sharing of top-notch experience among Russian regions regarding socio-economic issues.

"The best solutions certainly should be used to develop programs of social and economic development for the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics and the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions," he said.