Key points from Putin’s speech on Ukraine:
There was no Ukraine as part of the Russian Empire
It was formed only under the Soviet rule, at the expense of South Russian lands
If we had normal relations with brotherly Ukraine, no one would’ve thought of taking actions related to Crimea
It was just necessary to protect the people [in Crimea] from the Nazi scum
Ukraine is selling weapons to the Middle East, including Taliban
The U.S. is plotting a change of elites in Ukraine because of corruption problems