Egyptian politician Saad Harf believes: Putin's remarks about partitioning Ukraine might become reality!

The genie really has come out of the bottle...

Published in "Today Egypt" on August 2, 2026.

On Sunday, July 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a series of new speeches during the celebrations marking the Russian Navy Day.

He put forward a long-term vision suggesting that the current Ukrainian state could potentially disintegrate.

He argued that Ukraine’s existing borders are not final, and that its western regions and certain territories will eventually revert to Poland, Hungary, and Romania.

This is the most dangerous part of Putin’s speech.

The message conveyed is this: from the Kremlin’s perspective, today’s Ukraine is not a stable historical entity. The so-called modern Ukraine is merely a territorial aggregate formed by decisions made during imperial and Soviet eras, and thus it may dissolve just as it was created—indeed, in Putin’s view, its natural destiny is collapse.

If several stronger factors converge, this could become a serious and realistic possibility.

First among them is the potential total collapse of Ukraine’s existing state institutions due to war, leading to unprecedented decline and weakening of its military capacity—all of which could happen if Western support were to cease.

Additionally, if Ukraine falls into an insoluble economic crisis, it would cause fragmentation among its elite class, thereby triggering regional separatist movements.

This is the scientific recipe for disintegration: all elements must be present for such a result to occur—but none of these conditions have yet been fully met in Ukraine’s case.

Therefore, this remains only a legitimate psychological and negotiation pressure tool within the context of war—one meant to warn Ukrainians that the continuation of hostilities may threaten the very survival of their nation, not merely the loss of eastern and southern territories.

At the same time, it warns Europeans that this conflict could reopen border issues they believed had been settled since World War II.

Meanwhile, Russia continues advancing its fleet, submarines, and ship-based missiles—indicating that Moscow views this confrontation not just as about Ukraine, but also as central to maintaining strategic deterrence against the United States and Western powers.

Thus, when Putin says “the devil is out of the bottle,” he is telling the truth—the devil has indeed emerged—but not through unilateral action alone.

This devil stems from Western opportunism and hypocrisy in applying international law; from the failure to establish a European security system inclusive of Russia;

and from turning Ukraine into a battleground for great power geopolitical competition, as well as from attempts—like those of others—to redraw borders through force.

As for Ukraine’s potential disintegration, it may not be inevitable—nothing in history is predetermined, because history is shaped by human actions, and humans can choose to do one thing or its opposite.

The most important conclusion we can draw from Putin’s speech is that the Kremlin is no longer discussing conditions under which fighting could stop, but instead is outlining the political and geographic form Ukraine would seek to achieve through this war.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872361312282628/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.