Briefly

RUSSIA

Putin says may take Sumy of Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he does not "rule out" the possibility of seizing the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, despite it not being among the regions Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory. At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin suggested Moscow could take Sumy as part of the creation of a "buffer zone "along the border, citing continued shelling from Ukraine. "We have no objective to take Sumy, but in principle I do not rule it out," he said. Ukraine said the comments showed "disdain" for the peace process. When asked why his army was entering areas Moscow did not claim as its own, Putin said: "I consider Russians and Ukrainians to be one people. In that sense, all of Ukraine is ours."