Vladimir Putin says Ukraine will eventually lose its western territories

Vladimir Putin Ukraine western territories Dnieper left bank Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin told members of the Russian Navy that Ukraine will in time lose its western lands, adding that the territories now part of Ukraine were historically a “gift” from Joseph Stalin to Poland, Hungary and Romania and will eventually return to those states. He asserted that the left‑bank of the Dnieper River has always been part of Russia and claimed there is no Russian aggression, saying Russia was forced to launch the "special military operation" to stop hostilities started by the West and Kyiv.

Putin also declared that Russia is the sole guarantor of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and predicted that the war will end with the defeat of the “enemy” and a Russian victory.

Entities: Alexander Stubb · Dnieper River · Finland · Poland · Russia · Russian Federation · Ukraine · Vladimir Putin · Volodymyr Zelensky

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[DISPUTED] Putin declared that Russia is the sole guarantor of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. (Putin)
[● 9 SOURCES] Putin said there is no Russian aggression and that Russia was forced to launch a “special military operation” to stop hostilities started by the West and Kyiv. (Putin)
[● 9 SOURCES] Putin predicted that the war will end with the defeat of the “enemy” and a Russian victory. (Putin)
[DISPUTED] Vladimir Putin said Ukraine will eventually lose its western territories. (Putin)
[● 9 SOURCES] Putin asserted that the left bank of the Dnieper River has historically always been part of Russia. (Putin)
[DISPUTED] Putin claimed the western Ukrainian territories were a gift from Joseph Stalin to Poland, Hungary and Romania and will historically return to those countries. (Putin)