Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that Moscow would try to extend its gains in Ukraine if Kiev and its Western allies reject the Kremlin’s demands in peace talks.
US President Donald Trump has launched a sweeping diplomatic effort to end nearly four years of fighting after Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but Washington’s efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kiev.
Speaking at an annual meeting of top military officers, Putin said Moscow would prefer to achieve its goals and “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” through diplomatic means, but added that “if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historic lands through military means.”
Ukraine and its Western allies consider Russia’s actions a violation of its sovereignty and an act of unprovoked aggression.
Putin claimed that “the Russian military has captured and firmly holds the strategic initiative on the entire front line” and warned that Moscow would move to expand a “buffer security zone” along the border with Russia.
“Our troops are different now, they are battle-hardened and there is no other army like it in the world now,” he said.
Putin praised Russia’s growing military power and noted in particular the modernization of its nuclear arsenal, including the new nuclear-capable Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, which he said would officially enter combat service this month. Russia first tested a conventionally armed version of the Oreshnik to hit a Ukrainian factory in November 2024, and Putin boasted that it was impossible to intercept.
Sharply different demands of Moscow and Kiev
Putin’s harsh remarks follow several rounds of talks this week between Ukrainians. US and European officials at a US-drafted peace plan. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the meeting with the American envoys in Berlin that the document could be completed in a few days, after which the American envoys will present it to the Kremlin.
Putin wants all areas in four key regions captured by his forces, as well as Crimea, which was illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory. He also called on Ukraine to withdraw from some areas of eastern Ukraine that Moscow’s forces have not yet captured.
The Kremlin is also insisting that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO and warns that it will not accept the deployment of troops by NATO members and will consider them a “legitimate target.”
Zelenskyy has expressed his willingness to drop Ukraine’s bid to join NATO if the US and other Western nations provide Kiev with security guarantees similar to those offered to NATO members. But Ukraine’s preference remains NATO membership as the best security guarantee to prevent further Russian aggression.
At the same time, Zelensky rejected Moscow’s demands to withdraw its troops from other areas that Russia failed to take by force.
The Ukrainian leader described the draft peace plan discussed with the US during talks in Berlin on Monday as “not perfect” but “very achievable”, noting that Kiev and its allies are very close to an agreement on “strong security guarantees”. But he also stressed that the key issue of control over the territory remains unresolved and rejected US pressure for Ukraine to cede control of the eastern Donetsk region.
The Russian army is preparing more gains
Reporting to Putin at Wednesday’s military meeting, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov laid out plans for further progress, saying the latest Russian advances in Donetsk set the stage for a quick push into the Ukrainian-held area of the region.
Belousov also said Russian troops were preparing to drive Ukrainian forces out of parts of the Zaporizhzhia region that Moscow also annexed in 2022 but never fully captured, as well as to extend gains in the vicinity of Dnipropetrovsk.
“The key task for next year is to maintain and accelerate the pace of the offense,” he said.
Belousov outlined plans to expand Russian military capabilities, focusing on drones, jamming equipment and air defense assets.
Airstrikes continue
As Russia continues its grinding advances in many sectors of the front, it has also hit Ukraine with daily missile and drone strikes.
At least 26 people were injured by Russian bombs in and around Zaporizhzhia, according to regional administration head Ivan Fedorov. The attack damaged several residential buildings as well as infrastructure and an educational facility.
At least 69 long-range drones were launched by Russia overnight, the Ukrainian air force said. Air defenses intercepted or jammed 29 drones in the morning, with the assault continuing during the day.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses shot down 94 Ukrainian drones overnight.
In southern Russia’s Krasnodar region, drones injured two people and damaged several private homes, according to regional emergency officials. In the southwestern Voronezh region, Governor Alexander Gusev said drone fragments damaged a power line serving an infrastructure facility, causing a fire that was quickly extinguished.
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