A surprising statement came from the United States.
Odessa is a historically Russian city, said Charles W. Freeman, the former US Deputy Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, in an interview with the Dialogue works YouTube channel, ria.ru reported .
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Odessa a Russian city at his press conference at the end of the year.
"Historically, of course, Putin is right that the city of Odessa was founded by Russians and its population is largely Russian-speaking"
Freeman said.
The expert reminded that the escalation of the civil war in Ukraine started from this city.
Featured image: MTI/EPA/Sputnik/Grigory Sysoyev
