“Because in 2024, Ukraine is no longer facing Russia. Soldiers from North Korea are standing in front of Ukraine. Let’s be honest. Already in Ukraine, the Iranian ‘Shahedis’ are killing civilians absolutely openly, without any shame,” said Zaluzhny, adding that North Korean and Chinese weapons are flying into Ukraine. Zaluzhny urged Ukraine’s allies to draw the right conclusions. “It is still possible to stop it here, on the territory of Ukraine. But for some reason our partners do not want to understand this. It is obvious that Ukraine already has too many enemies. Ukraine will survive with technology, but it is not clear whether it can win this battle alone,” he said.
source?
I can not find the video I am thinking of. It is like 20 years old at this point, and was Putin talking at a media round table sort of conference.
However, don’t just need that. The follow is a transcript of him at meeting with "young, entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists " discussing what he sees Russia doing moving forward. Where he uses an anecdote about how Peter the Great took a big part of Sweden, after a prolonged war, and how it wasn’t invading Sweden, but returning their sovereignty, as an example of how he views moving forward with Russia today. This is published by the Kremlin. His, nationally, internal communications are littered with these type of anecdotes, and analogies, used as examples of how Russia should move forward, and protect its sovereignty. It is very hard to not come away with the message that he desires to take their empire back, like Peter the Great.
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/68606