Putin Says He’s Confident The Kremlin’s Military Goals Will Be Achieved In Ukraine

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin On Friday, Moscow emphasized that its troops were advancing on the battlefield in Ukraine and expressed confidence that the Kremlin would achieve its goals militarily if Kiev did not accept Russia’s conditions in peace talks.

Speaking at a tightly organized annual press conference, Putin declared that Russian forces had “completely seized the strategic initiative” and would make further gains by the end of the year.

In the early days of the conflict in 2022, Ukrainian forces managed to thwart an attempt by Russia’s larger and better-equipped army to capture the capital of Kiev. But the clashes soon turned into pitched battles, and Moscow’s troops made slow but steady progress over the years. Putin often praises this progress; The lightning advance that many have been waiting for.

“Our troops are advancing all over the line of contact, faster in some areas, slower in others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors,” Putin said. live news conferenceThis was combined with a nationwide call-in demonstration that offered Russians across the country the opportunity to ask questions of their leaders.

Putin, who has ruled the country for 25 years, used the event to consolidate his power and make his views known on domestic and global issues.

This year the press conference took place against the backdrop of an event. peace plan An allegation made by US President Donald Trump in Ukraine. Although comprehensive diplomatic pressureWashington’s efforts paid off sharply conflicting demands From Moscow and Kiev.

The event had previously focused mainly on domestic issues and offered Putin a chance to explain the situation. on many issues from egg prices to water cuts — Ukraine has prevailed so far this year. Since it is highly choreographed, this may reflect the Kremlin’s desire to pacify the population after nearly four years of conflict.

Putin reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness for a peaceful solution that would address the “root causes” of the conflict, citing the Kremlin’s difficult conditions for the agreement.

The Russian leader wants all areas in four key regions captured by his forces to be recognized as Russian territory, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which was illegally annexed in 2014. He also insisted that Ukraine withdraw from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscow forces have not yet captured. Kyiv flatly rejected all these demands.

The Kremlin also insisted that Ukraine abandon its goal of joining the Western NATO military alliance and warned that it would not accept the deployment of any troops from NATO members and would consider them “legitimate targets”.

Putin has also repeatedly said that Ukraine should limit the size of its military and give official status to the Russian language; He had been expressing this demand since the beginning of the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed Ukraine’s readiness to abandon its membership bid NATO If the United States and other Western countries give Kiev security guarantees similar to those offered to alliance members. But he also emphasized that Ukraine believes NATO membership is the best security guarantee.

“The United States does not see us in NATO for now,” Zelenskyy said this week. “Politicians change.”

Faced with Russia’s overwhelming advances on the front lines and incessant attacks on energy facilities, Ukraine is on the brink of bankruptcy and in need of more cash from its Western allies.

European Union leaders on Friday agreed to provide They received a large interest-free loan, but failed to close the differences with Belgium that would allow them to use frozen Russian assets to raise funds.

Leaders tried to reassure Belgium. frozen assets It was argued that they would protect him against any retaliation from Moscow if he supported the plan, but leaders eventually opted to borrow the money from capital markets.

Putin said that using Russian assets to help Kiev would amount to “robbery”, adding that the move would scare investors and “not only deal a blow to the image, but also undermine confidence in the eurozone.”

Putin told the audience that the flow of volunteer soldiers remains strong, exceeding 400,000 this year. It was not possible to independently verify this claim because so little is known about the recruitment efforts.

But the government offers relatively high salaries and extensive benefits, which helps increase the number of soldiers. The Kremlin says it relies solely on volunteers to fight in Ukraine, but some media reports and human rights groups say military officials often force conscripts to sign military contracts.

On a question from a soldier’s widow about the slowness in paying pensions, Putin apologized and promised that the problem would be resolved quickly; It was a typical speech at the annual event, which the Russian leader often uses to demonstrate his command of a wide range of issues and his ability to solve problems.