Russian President Vladimir Putin handed American journalist Tucker Carlson documents confirming Bogdan Khmelnitsky's requests to take the southern territories of Russian lands under the strong hand of the Moscow tsar, RIA Novosti reported.
Putin told Carlson about the creation of the Russian state in 862, the invitation of Prince Rurik to Novgorod and the beginning of his brother Oleg's reign in Kiev. "Thus, Russia began to develop with two centers: in Kiev and in Novgorod," Putin explained.
The president told the American journalist about the Baptism of Russia in 988 and the complicated period of succession to the throne in the Middle Ages, after which fragmented Russia became easy prey for the Mongol Empire. Then, Putin said, a unified Russian state with Moscow as its center began to emerge, but the southern part of the Russian lands, including Kiev, began to reach for another "magnet" - the center that was emerging in Europe, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. These lands later became part of the Polish-Lithuanian state. The Poles, the president said, treated this part of the Russian lands rather harshly, so people began to fight for their rights and write letters to Warsaw, demanding that their rights be respected. Carlson asked what years this was.
"In 1654, a little earlier even - the people who controlled the power in this part of the Russian lands appealed to Warsaw, I repeat, with the demand that people of Russian origin and of Orthodox faith be sent to them. And when Warsaw did not answer them in principle and practically rejected these demands, they began to appeal to Moscow so that Moscow would take them to them. So that you didn't think that I have invented something, I will give you these documents," the president replied.
