Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Russian military is gaining strength along the entire contact line and that Ukraine’s military could soon be “settled” by Russia. At the same time, he commented on Kiev’s European supporters’ attempts to hinder a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Putin made the comments during a meeting in Murmansk with the crew of the nuclear-powered submarine “Archangelsk”, which is equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles. He reaffirmed that Moscow has always tried to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means, but has been met with deception and obstruction from the West – initially with the failed Minsk agreements and then during the Istanbul peace talks in 2022.
“Your European handlers have convinced the Ukrainian leadership that it must continue armed resistance, in essence, until the last Ukrainian, with the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia” he said.
Putin accused Western state and government leaders, particularly former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, of underestimating Russia’s determination and warned that the country’s military capabilities should not be taken lightly.
“He must have forgotten that there are people like you and weapons like your submarine” Putin said to the crew of the “Archangelsk”. “Apparently, he has forgotten, or maybe they simply do not understand what the Russian people are made of.”
The Russian president said the conflict is at a turning point and he is confident that “our troops have the strategic initiative on the entire battle line.”
Despite his tough tone, Putin reaffirmed that Russia remains open to peace talks – as long as the fundamental causes of the conflict are addressed.
“We are for resolving these issues through peaceful means. But the underlying causes must be eliminated. We must ensure Russia’s security for the long term” Putin said.
Russia has repeatedly stated that it is open to peace talks, but insists that a genuine settlement of the conflict requires a lasting and legally binding solution. Moscow rejects any NATO presence on Ukrainian soil and demands that Kiev disarm, denazify, neutralize and recognize the territorial “realities on the ground”.
On March 18, the Russian military was instructed, as part of an agreement between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump, not to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. However, the Russian Defense Ministry has since reported several Ukrainian violations, which it has described as attempts to undermine Trump’s mediation efforts.