Russian President also assures that Moscow will achieve “without a doubt all the objectives” of its military operation
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised this Wednesday the liberation of what he says are the “historical Russian territories” in Ukraine, in an allusion to the four Ukrainian regions annexed by Moscow, if diplomacy fails.
“If the adversary and its foreign sponsors refuse to have a substantial discussion on the issue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical territories through military means,” he said, quoted by the Spanish news agency EFE.
Since invading Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has declared the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson annexed, after having done the same to Crimea in 2014.
Putin stressed that he preferred to recover the territories “and eliminate the original causes of the conflict with the help of diplomacy”, when speaking before the defense summit in Moscow.
The Russian leader reaffirmed that the objectives of the “special military operation”, the official Russian designation for the conflict, remain in place, at a time when negotiations are taking place on a North American plan to try to end the war, thus leaving little room for Russia to accept Kiev’s demands, such as not ceding territory.
Putin also attacked European leaders, accusing them of teaming up with former US President Joe Biden: “The piglets of Europe immediately joined the work of the previous American government, hoping to profit from the collapse of our country.”
Moscow will achieve, “without any doubt, all the objectives” of the operation, assured the supreme commander of the Russian armed forces, also quoted by the France-Presse news agency (AFP).
Putin highlighted that Russian troops “liberated” more than 300 locations in Ukraine this year.
Independent experts such as the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) say Russian forces have captured less than 1% of Ukrainian territory since January.
Putin also spoke of the “high combat capacity” of Russian soldiers, despite Kiev counting on “the potential of member countries of the largest political-military bloc in the world, NATO”.
“The year that is now ending was an important stage in the fulfillment of the missions of the special military operation. The Russian army maintains the strategic initiative across the entire front line,” he stated.
He claimed that Russian troops “are crushing” elite Ukrainian units trained in Western training centers and equipped with modern foreign weaponry.
He also highlighted that Russia will continue to expand the security zone in the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy.
He announced that the new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile will enter service with the armed forces before the end of the year and defined improving strategic nuclear forces as a priority.
“As before, these will play an important role in deterring the aggressor and maintaining the balance of power in the world,” he stated.
The Oreshnik, medium-range and capable of carrying nuclear warheads, can theoretically reach objectives located thousands of kilometers away, with a margin of error of just a few tens of meters, according to EFE.
The missiles were used for the first time in late 2024, in an attack on a military factory in the Dnipropetrovsk region, in eastern Ukraine.
Putin also defended cooperation “on an equal footing” with the United States and European countries “for the formation of a single security system in the Eurasian space”.
“We welcome the progress made in dialogue with the new North American Administration, which, unfortunately, cannot be said about the current leaders of most European countries,” he stated.
He also thanked North Korea for sending troops to fight in the Russian border region of Kursk, after a Ukrainian incursion in August 2024, and for the demining work that followed.
“By decision of Comrade Kim Jong-un, they were sent to participate in the liberation of the Kursk region and fought courageously against the enemy, shoulder to shoulder with Russian soldiers,” he said.
“It is our duty to forever remember all our fallen comrades-in-arms, to support the families, the children, their parents,” he added, asking for a minute of silence.
