Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is prepared to enter talks for the future of Ukraine after more than a year of fighting.
Putin is the one who ordered military troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022 and has since repeatedly said that he is ready to talk about peace. However, many Western officials believe he is waiting for the next US presidential election before making a genuine effort.
Vladimir Putin Talks About Peace
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country is prepared to talk about the future of Ukraine but argued that the war will only end with Kyiv's unconditional surrender.
During a meeting of the defense leadership in Moscow, Putin said that in Ukraine, those who are aggressive towards Russia and in Europe and in the US who want to negotiate can do so. However, the Russian strongman argued that such discussions would be based on Moscow's national interest.
Putin said, "We will not give up what is ours," and added that Russia does not intend to fight with Europe. Moscow currently controls roughly 17.5% of the territory internationally recognized as part of Ukraine when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, as per France24.
In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and Moscow said last year that the four additional regions of Ukraine that its troops partially control are part of its territory. On the other hand, Kyiv said that it would not rest until every last Russian soldier is ejected from its soil.
The Russian president spoke during a defense ministry meeting attended by the military's top brass. These include Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, and Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov.
The president said that Russian military troops now had the initiative on the battlefield in the war with Ukraine. He added that they will not abandon the "special military operation" goals but noted that his country needs better military communication, surveillance, targeting, and satellite capability.
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Ending the Russia-Ukraine War
According to Yahoo News, Putin added that Russia's defense industry is responding faster than the West and noted that his country would continue to upgrade its nuclear forces while keeping its combat readiness at a high level.
Shoigu said that Russia's tank production has also increased since February 2022 by 5.6 times, unmanned aerial vehicles by 16.8 times, and artillery shells by 17.5 times. He added that Moscow had taken on 490,000 contract and voluntary soldiers this year. Russia will try to bolster its contracted force to 745,000 next year.
Russia's military forces have laid 7,000 kilometers of minefields in Ukraine, some stretching for 600 meters in width. They have also set up 1.5 million anti-tank barriers and 2,000 kilometers of anti-tank ditches.
Putin also said that there will only be peace in Ukraine after Moscow achieves its goals as he called for the "denazification of Ukraine." He also seeks Kyiv's demilitarization and neutral status.
An analyst for the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Tatiana Stanovaya said that Putin just made a peace proposal to the West on the conditions of Ukraine's total capitulation. The Guardian said Russia's year-end press conference lasted more than four hours and included questions from soldiers from the frontlines and regional journalists.
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