Russian-Ukrainian cooperation irks numerous countries because it creates a global competitor to challenge them, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin said in an interview for the project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin".

"Any integration of Russia and Ukraine, along with their capacities and competitive advantages would spell the emergence of a rival, a global rival for both Europe and the world. No one wants this. That's why they'll do anything to tear us apart," Putin said.

He said he hopes for an agreement with Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky on “peace” and “friendship”. "There’s always hope," Putin said.

The Russian President pointed to certain changes in the stance of his Ukrainian counterpart.

"Unfortunately, as you see, after returning from Paris after the Normandy Quartet summit and he started talking about the necessity to review the Minsk Agreements. This begs the question," Putin said.