Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the new territories integrated into the Russian Federation will remain permanently within the country.
During a speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry meeting, Putin stated that the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) had the right to declare their independence because Ukraine was the one that unleashed a war against their interests.
He also mentioned that Ukraine and Russia would have found a solution to the conflict, but that wasn't possible due to the meddling of "the West." In that regard, he added, Russia did not recognize the independence of the DPR and LPR for eight years because it wanted to reach an agreement.
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