Putin claims Russia "sincerely" hoped for reunification of Donbas with Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia should have annexed part of Donbas earlier, but it allegedly hoped that Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts would be able to reunite with Ukraine. Source: Kremlin-aligned news outlet TASS, citing Putin during a meeting with "mothers of Russian military" Quote: "As for 2014, of course, in retrospect, we are all smart, but we assumed that it might be possible to reach an agreement, and Luhansk and Donetsk would somehow be able to reunite with Ukraine within the framework of the Minsk agreements. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/11/25/7377979/