Putin takes aim at Zelenskyy in annual Q&A, says he won’t negotiate on land

Russian person underscores Kremlin’s hardline stance connected bid talks arsenic Trump pushes for woody to extremity war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking astatine his highly choreographed yearly question-and-answer league successful Moscow, has said his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy refuses to sermon territorial concessions.

The comments were made connected Friday during the “Results of the Year” event, wherever Putin fielded questions from millions of Russians connected topics ranging from home argumentation to the war.

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Putin’s remarks are the latest successful a drumbeat of often-repeated maximalist Russian positions astir 4 years aft helium ordered troops into the neighbouring country, arsenic United States President Donald Trump intensifies diplomatic efforts to broker a bid woody betwixt Moscow and Kyiv.

The contented of territory gained, lost, to beryllium ceded oregon not, delves into the bosom of the substance connected 1 of the astir contentious issues successful the talks to extremity the warfare truthful far.

“We cognize from statements from Zelenskyy that he’s not prepared to sermon territory issues,” Putin told attendees astatine the lawsuit successful the capital’s Gostiny Dvor accumulation hall. Zelenskyy has so stated that clearly, but Ukraine’s constitution besides forbids the ceding of land.

Putin has demanded Ukraine cede each territory successful 4 cardinal regions his forces person captured and occupied, on with Crimea, which Moscow seized and annexed successful 2014.

He besides wants Ukrainian troops to retreat from parts of eastbound Ukraine that Russian forces person not yet taken successful the eastbound Donetsk region, wherever warring remains attritional – conditions Kyiv has rejected outright.

Putin projected assurance astir battlefield progress, saying Russian forces had “fully seized strategical initiative” and would marque further gains earlier the twelvemonth ends.

Moscow’s larger service has made dependable advances successful caller months, seizing betwixt 12 and 17 quadrate kilometres (4.5 and 6.6 quadrate miles) regular successful 2025, according to Western assessments.

The Russian president besides attacked Western handling of frozen Russian assets, labelling plans to usage them for Ukraine arsenic “robbery” alternatively than theft due to the fact that it was being done openly.

“Whatever they stole, they’ll person to springiness it backmost someday,” helium said, pledging to prosecute ineligible enactment successful courts helium described arsenic “independent of governmental decisions”.

European Union leaders agreed to provide a hefty $105bn interest-free loan to Ukraine to conscionable its subject and economical needs successful its warfare with Russia for the adjacent 2 years, EU Council President Antonio Costa said.

The leaders decided aboriginal connected Friday ‍to get currency connected superior markets to money Ukraine’s defence against Russia alternatively than usage frozen Russian assets, diplomats said.

The yearly event, which Putin has held successful antithetic formats since 2001, drew astir 3 cardinal questions from Russians via phone, substance and online platforms. An artificial quality strategy processed the queries to place communal themes.

Putin’s comments travel astatine a pivotal moment, and are watched intimately by Western officials who volition privation to get a work connected however helium intends to contiguous the concern connected the crushed to the Russian public.

Trump has launched a large diplomatic propulsion to extremity astir 4 years of fighting, but negotiations person stalled implicit sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv.

US officials estimation that Russia and Ukraine person suffered much than 2 cardinal casualties since Moscow launched its penetration successful February 2022. Neither broadside discloses reliable nonaccomplishment figures.