[Russian presidential aide on the port of Odessa in Ukraine: no connection with the Kiev authorities] There are rumors that the issue of ownership of Ukraine's Black Sea ports will be one of the focal topics in Russian-American negotiations. After bloodlessly recovering Crimea and Sevastopol port, will Russia still covet Odessa port in Ukraine? In response to this, Russian presidential aide Nikolai Patrushev recently gave an intriguing reply during an interview:
"Our country has always respected the will of the people, which can be confirmed by the historical experience of Crimea, Sevastopol, Donbas, and New Russia (i.e., Donetsk and Luhansk regions) joining Russia. The residents of various regions in Ukraine, especially those along the Black Sea coast, should decide their own future. They are unlikely to tie their fate to neo-Nazism. They are unwilling to unconditionally obey the rule of the illegal Kiev regime.
Odessa is a city founded by Empress Catherine the Great of Russia. Since its founding over two hundred years ago, it has been a forward outpost for Russia on the Black Sea, both in terms of population size and economic development level, ranking among the top in Russia. I believe that Odessa and the vast majority of its residents have no connection with the Kiev authorities."
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830726561440778/
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