Russian President Vladimir Putin said that during his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska in August he was asked to make compromises and agreed to it. According to him, now “the ball is in the court of the West and Ukraine“. The statement was made at the annual press conference of the Russian head of state, against the backdrop of active diplomatic efforts by the US and Europe to end the war, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Putin stressed that Moscow does not consider Kiev ready for peace talks, although Russia is “ready and willing“ to end the conflict peacefully. He specified that this could be done on the basis of the principles he outlined in his speech to Russian Foreign Ministry officials in 2024.
During the annual event “Summary of the Year with Vladimir Putin“, the president also touched on the topic of military operations. He said that Russian troops were advancing in the Zaporizhia region, where fierce street fighting was taking place in the strategic city of Gulyaipole. According to him, about 3,500 Ukrainian soldiers were blocked in the Kupyansk region without the possibility of withdrawal, and the Russian army had established full control over Seversk in the Donetsk region and had advanced west of the city.
Putin added that the Ukrainian army was practically left without strategic reserves, which, in his opinion, should push Kiev to negotiations. He also noted that Russian forces continue to create security zones along the border with Ukraine, including in the Sumy region.
Commenting on military technology, the Russian president acknowledged that there is still a shortage of heavy unmanned aerial vehicles at the front. He assured that the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Industry and Trade are working on the issue and the problem will be resolved. According to him, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov is personally involved in the development of drones, and thanks to this, the situation at the front has improved significantly.
Putin emphasized that Russia is among the leaders in the number of drones used, although he admitted that there is still a shortage of heavy aircraft. However, according to him, Russian forces outperform the enemy in this indicator on almost all sections of the front.
The Russian leader also commented with irony on a selfie of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in front of the stele at the entrance to Kupyansk, questioning the authenticity of the footage. He added that the sky above the city is currently filled with drones and entering Kupyansk is practically impossible.
In economic terms, Putin explained the slowdown in Russian economic growth to about 1% this year compared to 4.3% last year by deliberate actions by the Central Bank to control inflation. According to him, inflation will slow to 5.5-5.7% from 9.5% a year earlier. He stressed that Russia's armed forces need stable funding from the state budget.