In a meeting with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Putin said that Russia would like "eternal peace" in Ukraine, emphasizing that for Moscow there is only one demarcation line with Ukraine - the country's border.
In 2014, shortly before the annexation of Crimea, he repeatedly spoke of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. Even after the annexation, he urged people not to believe that other regions would follow Crimea's lead.