the, the, the the following is an interview with the president of russia. vladimir putin shot february 6th, 2024 and about 7 pm in the building behind us. which is of course, the kremlin theater view. as you will see, if you watch it is primarily about the war and progress, the war, new crane, how it started, what's happening, and most presently, how it might. yeah. one note, before you watch at the beginning of the interview, we asked the most obvious question, which is, why did you do this? did you feel a threat and imminent physical threat? and that's your justification. and the answer we got shocked us. putting one on for

a very long time, probably half an hour about the history of russia going back to the 8th century. and honestly, we thought this was a filibustering technique and found it annoying, interrupted him several times and he responded. he was annoyed by the interruption, but we concluded in the end for what it's worth that it was not a filibustering technique. there was no time limit on the interview. we ended it after more than 2 hours. instead, what you're about to see seemed to us sincere, would you agree with it or not? vladimir putin believes that russia has a historic claim to parts of western ukraine. and so our opinion would be to view it in that light as a sincere expression of what he thinks and with that. here it is. mister president, thank you. on february 22nd 2022. you addressed your country and a nationwide address when the conflict in ukraine started. and you said that you were acting because you had come to the conclusion that the united states through nato might initiate a quote,

surprise attack on our country. and to american years. that sounds paranoid. tell us why you believe the united states might strake russia out into blue? how did you conclude that? doing your thoughts, the music us, if it's not, that's america can say united states was going to launch of surprises, franklin, russia. i didn't say that even though, are we having a talk show or a serious conversation. but here's the quote. thank you. it's a formidable, it's agreed expect would not, it's, she doesn't go no best google was bus available because your basic education isn't history. as far as i understand, yes, it is very possible elizabeth. so if you don't mind to, i will say normally 30 seconds or one minutes, i'll give you a short to reference to history for giving you a little historical background, please. of some updates shortly. let's look where our relationship with ukraine

started for us or did ukraine come from a she's good. this is this, this policy, the russian states started gathering itself as a centralized statehood with them know something that i, she's consider. and it is considered to be the year of the establishment of the russian state of the, in $862.00. and i think it was i for just telling me that when the sales people of know girls invited around the prince rurik from scandinavia to reign by the end of some sort. since the issue was simple and 1862 russia celebrated in 1000 anniversary of its statehood. so he left me see mobile, and the number of there is a memorial dedicated to the 1000 anniversary of the country voice instead of a 10800 they'd say to rick successor do rings. oh, legs who was actually playing the role of regions and that's for weeks young son bustle to from digging because really had died by that sign, came to kia and cut them with him. a show of keys, a setting lots less to do,

but i do feel as the 2 brothers who apparently had seen that there was a new ones being members of real rick squad in here. that's in p e. so russia begun to develop with 2 centers of power, t of another girl, that silly she watching as much room and that there was to the next very significant date. and the history of russia was $988.00. what do you mean? this was the baptism of russia when rinse lot of miracle, the great grandson of real rig baptized russia and adopted orthodoxy for eastern christianity some 30 years ago. and had i, she's getting this from this time, the centralized, the russian state begun to strengthen unit. why? because of the single territory integrate that they cannot make size. do you think? one of the same language and the officer, the baptism of russia, the same face and rule of the prince. the centralized russian state begin to take

shape crises. this with us back in the middle ages springs ers loved the wise introduce the quarter of succession to a trone and virginia, but still in the city it yeah. but after he passed away, it became complicated for various reasons to take before you post it at the local wonderful luxury central. and it was past and not directly from father to eldest son, but from the prince from who had passed away to his brother, which end to his sons in different lines. let them send that we um, but i mean, you should, the people can always let the fragmentation and the end of bruce as a single state, people cause little business. there was nothing special about it and the same was happening then in europe. not that was appropriate in the who's going to, so this was still a little k, w. g. of the fragmented russian save became an easy prey to the entire created earlier banking was hon. about the 50 knows his successors, namely,

but the sound came to ruth's plunder. then roy, nearly all the cities southern parts including key, if by the way and some other cities are simply lost independence. well northern cities preserved some of their sovereignty. what are the logistic when you get this, okay, they have to pay tribute to the hoard, but they manage to preserve some parts of their sovereignty. the team that he's getting and then a unified russian state and begun to take shape with his center in moscow. i don't much like the southern part the russian lands, including key if some simple categories, scholastic guns have gradually gravitate towards another magnus to the center that was emerging in europe. you wonder from the a little scope. this was the grand duchy of lithuania, so there isn't that you do if it was even called dillard waiting in russian. dutchy, because the russians were a significant part of this population. they spoke the old russian language and where forth about seeing when you look, i noticed that it was, but then there was

a unification. the union of the grand duchy of between the and the kingdom of poland was the only see a few years later another union was signed and which in use less. but this time already in the religious sphere. the human doesn't what that is human. some of the orthodox priest became subordinate to the pope. thus these lands became part of the day before which looked waning states upon the at you and you. if it's just an easy clean, it didn't, it's just during decades, the polls were engaged in roland ization. of this part of the population can usually take introduced a language there, try to in change. the idea that this blog relation was, nothing's likely russians not create that because they lived on the fringe they were ukrainians, then you might. so originally the words ukrainian meant that the person was living on the outskirts of the state along the fringes, or was engaged in

a border patrol service. it didn't mean any particular ethnic group. i think it's huge, skip. so the polls were trying to the cities in every possible way to apologize this part of the russian lands and actually treated it rather firstly, not to say clearly. all that led to the fact that this part of the russian lands begun to struggle for the rights recently piecemeal they wrote letters to or solid demanding did their rights be observed and people the commission here and it including took the big part and can you tell us, what period i'm losing track and where in history we are the publish impression of you. the nice thing is the book. it wasn't the 13th century accidents. didn't know what i didn't not study it's, it's a book to not see much it, you know, i will tell you what happens later actually is not there something you've looked into and give the dates so that there is no confusion of tissues to so to and then

1654, even a bit earlier to ensure that, you know, uh, as soon as it goes to continue the people who were in control of the storage unit over that part of the russian lance. so basically, you know, for our trust for so i repeat, just demanding that they sent them to rulers of russian origin and orthodox space. but in warsaw did not answer them. and in fact, rejected their demands. they turned to moscow so that moscow took them away. still, but yeah, when you do me extension to put them on them so that you don't think that i'm inventing things, but i'll give you these documents because while i type, it doesn't sound like you're inventing it. i'm not sure why it's relevant to what have you and you should take it, but still looking at these that these are the documents from the archives copies. just be some nobody down here. the letters from bogged down from

a lift gate and tell your west, with a good man who then controlled them are in this part of the russian lance. what show you that is now called ukraine, up with a key role to warsaw, demanding that they rides be upheld. visit you. after being refused, he begun to write letters to moscow, a mass looking to take them under the strong hand. the most goats are, they are copies of these documents. i will leave them for you a good memory. there is a translation into a russian, this lexical translated into english later, but almost to russia would not agree to admit them straight away. assuming that the war with bolen would start never the less, in $1654.00 on the russian assembly of the top clergy and landowners headed by the sar. just don't get to see me. why slow, which was the representative body of the power of the old russian states was decided to include the parts of the old russian lands into moscow. kingdom, media both as expected. the word with poland began pity. it lasted 13 years

and then in 1654 from or drop a truce was concluded. splish, a niche name is in 32 years later, i think a peace treaty with poland, which they called internal peace was assigned at the floor crossing. and these lands the whole left bank of neighbor, including key of went to russia, let you know what we remember and the whole right bank of nape or remain and to see stage 2 under the rule of kathrina, the great russia reclaims all of its historical lands including in the south and west the with this all last that done. so the revolution was boisterous before world war. one thing is that c o street in general, a south relied on the id is so if you're craney and as they should and started actively promoting the idea so beautiful brain and that ukraine is ation. but if you any middle wiley, i guess now those to me i select each button so they remote the most obvious

ballistic just before world war one day, once a week and the potential enemy and secure themselves favorable conditions in the border area. so the idea which has emerged in poland, the people residing in that territory were allegedly not really russians, but brought that belong to a special ethnic group ukrainians. they started being propagated by the austrian general staff of to the what do you think you're pregnant? as far back as the 19th century and the serious calling for ukrainian independence appeared, ok, screensaver seems to control those however claimed that ukraine should have been very good relationship with russia. mustang. what they insisted on that they want institution use for 2 months. the after the 1970 and revolution every single night . this is the status of those guys. the bolsheviks sought the restore, the stay foot and the civil war began including the hostilities with bowling plush efficient use of what's good. i'm good to go for a couple of them is up and they can 1921 piece with poland was proclaimed. and

under that 3 p, the right bank of neighbor river once again was given back to poland sufficient to get them in 1939 after poland cooperated with hitler. tr. let's keep them. i push of something for this collaborates with the, you know, the hitler offers bowling geese and the treaty of friendship like your little girl, a switch and alliance go demanding. can you return the poland to give back to germany is the so called the advancing car doors of the which connected the bulk of germany with east russia and counting spar? that's not what we should get them. i use a so can you can get them the e associate associate where one this territory it was transferred to poland and instead of bouncing a city of dunst emerged. mister ben, it's a good for you, sir. hitler as then to give it this amicably. but they refused that,

of course. uh they still, they collaborated with hitler and engaged together if you could even use that. does that mean is in the partitioning of czechoslovakia, but may asking, you're making the case that the ukraine, certainly parts from gardner street in crane is and in effect, russia has been for hundreds of years. why wouldn't you just take it when you became president? 24 years ago, you have nuclear weapons, they don't actually your land. why did you wait so long? sure. the national failure initially. so make sure that the 2 studies this, this briefing is coming. so in that and that it might be boring, but it does something more than anything. so i just don't know how it's relevant. no, i think we should take them news for good. that's good. i'm so ratified that you appreciate . that was the thank you. it's the know so before world war 2, poland collaborate, did not hibler. and although it did not yield to hitler's demands, it's still participated in the partition and go czechoslovakia together with hitler

who as the polls had not given good. bounce a car door to germany, metrics and went so far pushing hitler to start world war 2. by attacking them, even though with him is why was it poland, against whom the worst started on 1st september 1939, the evil blowing of poland turned out to be uncompromising inside. hitler had nothing to do but to start the implementing his plans with bowling. you as soon as get safe, by the way, i see that you are so sorry for this i have read some archive. documents behaved very honestly. you're always good enough for mister flo. it asked bolan's permission to transit its troops through the polish territory to help czechoslovakia, who's got headspace doesn't have his case. but the then polish for administer said that if the soviet plans flew over poland, they would be down. however, the territory of poland. find them in july, but that doesn't matter. what matters is that there weren't a gun and poland felt right to the policies it has or suit against chick is level

key is under the well known mullets of ribbon general back in security, sweetie. but there's lots of the territory, including western ukraine that was to be given to russia. but another thing to say, thus, russia which was then named this us ceasar, regain this historical lands, might be of the after the victory in the great the patriarch war. as we called world war 2 countries in political, those territories were ultimately enshrined as belonging to russia. portia, today, us a, sorry, but i think convinced i see that now the only thing that's for poland is up and received. apparently in compensation, the lands which had originally being german, the does is up of the a solution which is the eastern parts of germany. and these are now western lines that was bowlens. so we use this in the that you don't know this of course colon regain access to the multics c. and it sounds like it done. so that's what i based on, which was once again, given its voltage name,

what i can put on the flushing. so this was how the situation developing better when you say this go say it was the end of addition you took in 1922 when the ussr was being established. easy unless you do find that or what does the bolshevik started building the ussr and establish the soviet ukraine which had never existed before? what right, that's one of the simple watching. so should you switch to the split up, instead of say, darling, insisted that those republicans being included in the us as our, as quite the discretion to, i've told them how about selling them as entities as my way to school, because that's the new style for some inexplicable reason land and the founder of the soviet state insisted that they be entitled to withdraw from the us as our menu of who and again, for some unknown reasons, he transferred to the newly established soviet, couldn't publish the crane some of the lands together with the people living there, even though those lands had never been called ukraine. and yet they were made part

of that soviet republic of your brain on those lines included the black sea region, which was received under catherine and a great and you cut at which had no historical connection with ukraine whatsoever. institution slipped, even if we go as far back as 1654. when these lands returned the russian empire that they are 3 was the size of 3 to 4 regions of modern ukrainian them with no black sea regions. that was completely out of the question. 1654. exactly. that you know what i'm just, i mean, you obviously encyclopedic knowledge of this region. but why didn't you make this case for the 1st 22 years as president that ukraine wasn't a real country? the, it's a, it's a, i'm not sure if i was googling the boat, you with the soviet union was given a great deal of territory that had never belonged to including the black sea reach . i think of them. i see boots you of it isn't the 2nd at some point when russia

receive them as an outcome of the russo turkish wars, they were called new russia or never received my stomach. but that does not matter . what matters is that the land and the founder of this, so he had stayed with the ship, establish ukraine that way when he gets off that is this a fit for decades that ukrainian so if you're the republic to develop a sparks of the us sr when you find a company to remotely and for unknown reasons. again, the bolsheviks were engaged in ukrainian. those ations, it was not merely because the soviet leadership was come close to a great extent of those originating product. okay. really, rather, it was explained by the general policy of indigenous ation versus by the soviet union and things. and then same things were done in other soviet republics. this involved promoting national languages and national cultures, which is not about in principle, that is how the soviet ukraine was created after the world war 2 ukraine received

in addition to the lands that had belonged to poland before the war spots of the lands that had previously belonged to hungary and the romania, romania, and hungry had some of their lands taken away and have given to the soviet ukraine and they still remain part of your brain. and so in this sense, we have every reason to affirm that ukraine is an artificial stable that will shape that stallings which you believe hungry has a right to take. it's land back from ukraine and the other nations have a right to go back to their 1654 borders of no use, no good news and i'm not sure whether they should go back to the 1654 border sufficient ext. uh, but given style in stine, so cold stylings regime, which as many claims, so numerous violations of human rights and violations of the rights of other states . with them, some of these can use the phone, you must know who you're going to attempt to email. and i had

a problem when they say that they could claim back those lines of theirs while having no right to do this is like a waste understandable. have you told victor or button that he can have part of the ukraine a week? and then you'll, you'll, you'll never hear, i've never told them not a single time when i seem designated shouldn't able to go well, i'm going to say that we have not even had been a conversation on that. but i actually know for sure that you're hung gary and who lives there. and you can just take a few moments and slice they wanted to get back to their historical land lease to after the course. moreover, i would like to share a very interesting story with you just to get the much i digress. it's a personal one is a, somewhere in the early eighties i went on the road tripping a car from then lending right across the soviet union to key it will you who made the stop and key of and then went to western, so crane. and that's why i went to the town of bid a go boy, e and old,

the names of the towns and villages there were in russian and in the language i did not understand in hon, gary and in russian and in hon. gary and was nothing ukrainian in russian. and in hon gear in story, i was driving through some kind of village and there were men sitting next to the houses and they were wearing black. 3 be suits and black cylinder hats. i asked, are they some kind of entertainers, you know, i was still know they were not then just saying there's, they're hung ariens. i said, what are they doing here? what do you mean? this is the land they live here. really. this was during the soviet time in the 1999, they preserve the hon gary and language and gary names and all their national costumes . they are from gary ends and they feel themselves to become gear ends. and of course, when now there is an infringement issue. why that and that is. and there's a lot of that. so i think many nations are upset about transylvania as well as you

obviously know. but many nations feel frustrated by the redrawn borders of the worst of the 20th century and was going back a 1000 years. the ones you think you mentioned. but the fact is that you didn't make this case in public until 2 years ago, february, and in the case that you made, which i read today and jessica, you, you explained a great length that you felt a physical threat from the west in nato, including potentially nuclear threat, and that's what got you to move. is that a fair characterization of what you said as yep. yep. yep. and you might have to meet the need. yeah. well, you know, yeah, i need to. i understand that my long speeches probably fall outside of the genre of the interview. that is why i asked you at the beginning, the, are we going to have a serious doctor or a show? you say it was said a serious stock. so they are with leslie has screwed up kind of, well, i'm going to come, we're coming to the point where the soviet ukraine was established. then in 1991,

the soviet union collapsed to the carpet and everything that russia had generously bestowed on ukraine was dragged away by the lateral just because i'm coming to a very important point of today's agenda if as well. so let's go thank you. after all, it is the collapse of the soviet union was effectively initiated by the russian leadership much. and i'm going to go with elizabeth cost or i see. no, i do not understand what the russian leadership was guided by the time. but i suspect there were several of reasons to think everything would be fine. yeah, we're not gonna move to a level goes to what i see. so it's quite the least the worst perform the mean 1st . i think that then russian leadership, the lead that the fundamentals of the relationship between russia and ukraine, where in fact, a common language, more than 90 percent of the population there spoke russian because both directly to investigators, most of the family size,

every 3rd person there had some kind of family or friendship size, common culture and they can use, we'll common history, find the least common faith in the coexistence with a single state for centuries and deeply interconnected economies, movement course, you seen in lima. so, you know, all of these were so fundamental needs vision, all these elements together make our good the relationship that way and then it simple if i used to but we're committed custody because then you're still the 2nd point is a very important one, but is now what i see schools, i want you as an american citizen and your viewers to hear about this as well. so i'm wondering, you've got, you need, the former russian leadership assumed that the soviet union had ceased to exist, and therefore there were no longer any ideological dividing line he's given up by some other than that, i will say this goes to russia even agreed voluntarily. and proactively to the collapse of the soviet union was away with them. and believe that this would be understood by the 20 so called civilized was that you usually choose as an

invitation for cooperation and associated with all that i see it. yes, that is what the russian was expecting to do, both from the united states and the so called collect, there was a whole community to get a mind going by. there were smart people, including in germany, you gone bar, a major political sion, of the social democratic parties, no queen system, in his and personal conversations with the soviet leadership on the brink of the collapse of the soviet union and that they knew security system should be established in your phone, whichever you need to get in mind, you know, help should be given to unified germany. it was quite the signature that new system should be also established to include the united states, canada, russia, and other central european countries is not the yes, but need to me just not. so it was a band i guess, a few more towards that. somebody said, what a cold anyway, if nato expands, everything would be just the same as during the cold war, you anything only closer to rushes borders. that's also what's the one that to

seduce because he was a wise old man, but no one listen to this event. in fact, in which he got angry ones, pursued you from the rest of the favorites go codes. if he said, you don't listen to me, i'm never setting my foot in moscow once again. i'm not giving you mean, you know, everything happened just the c headset. you will, of course it did come true and i, and you've mentioned this many times. i think it's a fair point in many in america, thought that relations between russia and the united states would be fine with the collapse of the so being in the end of the core that the opposite happened. but you've never explained why you think that happened, except to say that the west fears a strong russia, but we have a strong china of the west does not seem very afraid of. what about russia? do you think, to convince policy makers they had to take it down is up, but it's just, you know, get a boy. she can seem to know what i see. the west is afraid of strong china, more than a few years. a strong russia just said it goes,

russia has 150000000 people in china has 1500000000 population. and this economy is growing by leaps and bounds or 5 percent a year. it used to be even more, but that's enough for china. so as bismark wants to put a global thing, show us the most important key chain is potential is enormous. it is the biggest economy in the world today, in terms of purchasing power parity and the size of the economy. it has already overtaking the united states quite a long time ago, though, and it is growing at a rapid click. let's not talk about of who is afraid of whom and what's the reason of such services for adult. and let's good thing through the fact that after and 1991 when russia expected that they put the b welcome thing. so they rather leave family of civilized nations. nothing like this happens. the trick this, i don't mean to you personally when i say you, of course i'm talking about the united states. that promise was that nato would not expend east for it, but it happened 5 times. they were finally waves of expansion,

which all right and, and on that we were trying to persuade them. we were saying, please don't we are as bourgeois now as you are. we are a market economy and there is no communist spark the bowers. let's negotiate. moreover, i have also said this publicly before and a means going to the, there was a moment when she had a course company, digital data search and ripped, started growing between want me to was before that else and came to the united states. remember, he spoken congress and said the good the words, god bless america, even though everything he said were signals of let us in. remember the developments and you're just love. and before the else in was lavished with brace on you. as soon as the developments and you just love you started, he raised his voice in support of sir ups and we couldn't but raise our voices for serbs in their defense. so you might, i understand that there were complex processes on the way they were. and i do a lot of rush, it could not help raising his voice in support of serbs because serves are also

a special and close to us. nation have been with orthodox culture and so on new. it's a nation that has suffered so much for generations. well, regardless, what is important is that the else in expressed his support. what did the united states do in violation of international law and the un charter it started bumbling, the great. it was the united states that and let the genie out of the bottle a, you know, more over russian protested than expressed as resentment stuff. what was said the when charter an international law have become obsolete now. everyone invokes international law. but at that time, they started saying that everything was outdated. everything has to be changed over . indeed, some things need to be changed as the balance of dollars has changed and which is true, i believe, buttoned up in this manner, wilson was immediately director of the month accused of alcoholism of understanding . nothing of knowing that you know what actual he understood everything. i assure

you.