On the campaign trail last year, candidate Donald Trump, time after time, not only suggested he could swiftly bring an end to Russia’s unlawful war against Ukraine, but at times even insisted he could—and would—do it before being sworn into office.

Asked about possible territorial concessions that could be agreed under Trump's presidency, which begins in just days, a long-time Putin ally suggested by the end of 2025 Ukraine might be no longer be a sovereign state.

Nikolai Patrushev, an advisor to the Russian president, stated in an interview with "Komsomolskaya Pravda" that the Russian Federation is not indifferent to the situation in Ukraine. However, he did not rule out the possibility that Ukraine may cease to exist altogether by next year.