Vladimir Putin on Thursday offered the clearest summation yet of his war goals as he compared himself to Peter the Great “reclaiming” territory for Russia.

At a meeting with young entrepreneurs and scientists, the Russian leader sought to draw a flattering comparison between himself and the 17th-century monarch, who founded St Petersburg – Putin’s birthplace.

“Peter the Great waged the Northern War for 21 years. You might think ‘he was fighting with Sweden, seizing their lands…’ He wasn’t capturing them. He was reclaiming them,” Putin told the scientists.

He went on to imply that he believed swathes of Ukrainian land would soon be annexed by Russia in a similar fashion and that it would eventually be recognised as such.

“When Peter the Great laid the foundation of a new capital in St Petersburg, none of the European countries recognized this territory as Russian. Everyone recognized it as Swedish,” he said.

“But along with Finno-Ugric peoples, Slavs lived there from ancient times. Why did he invade it? To reclaim [our lands] and strengthen [the state]. That’s what he did. It seems that it’s our turn now to return [the land] and strengthen [the state].”

He was speaking at an exhibition in Moscow dedicated to Peter the Great, named Peter I: The Birth of the Empire.

Read more: The Telegraph