Russian President Vladimir Putin has explicitly stressed his continued commitment to his maximalist military goals in Ukraine – the same goals that started the war in 2022. At an expanded meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry (MO) council on December 17, he stated that Russia “will undoubtedly” achieve its military goals in Ukraine.
This is according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Putin said that Russia would prefer to use diplomatic means to achieve its military goals and address the alleged "root causes" of the conflict. for war (a term the Kremlin has long used to refer to its initial military demands). Russian State Duma Defense Committee member Andrei Kolesnik similarly noted on December 17 that Russia's goal remained the "demilitarization and denazification" of Ukraine.
This is a reference to Russia's original goals of severely limiting the Ukrainian army so that Ukraine could not defend itself, removing the current Ukrainian government, and installing a pro-Russian puppet government in its place.
Putin also reaffirmed Russia's commitment to ultimately achieving its broader territorial goals in Ukraine, claiming that Russia would "liberate its historical lands" by military means if Ukraine and the West "refuse to engage in substantive discussions".
Kremlin officials, including Putin, have repeatedly referred to vast swaths of Ukrainian territory beyond the four regions Russia has annexed as "historical" and "Russian" territory. Kremlin officials have often referred to the city of Odessa as a "Russian" city and have discussed "Novorossiya", an amorphous fictional region in southern and eastern Ukraine that the Kremlin claims is an "integral part" of the country. by Russia and which covers territory beyond the five regions that Russia has annexed.
The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected peace plans proposed by the United States and Ukraine, while trying to shift the blame for the lack of progress in the talks onto Ukraine.
The Kremlin has not publicly and explicitly stated that it will accept the 28-point plan or subsequent versions, and has rather rejected many of the plan's points in recent weeks. The plan calls for Russia to give up territory it controls outside occupied Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, and for the front line in Kherson and Zaporizhia regions to freeze.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov continues to claim that Russian forces have captured Kupyansk - despite evidence that Ukrainian forces have liberated a significant part of the city.
Belousov said that the alleged capture of Kupyansk would expand Russia's buffer zone in Kharkiv region, thereby reducing the threat of Ukrainian shelling of northern areas of occupied Luhansk region. Similarly, Putin has tasked Russian forces with creating a buffer zone in northern Kharkiv and Sumy regions in the past, and the Kremlin is likely to demand that some of that territory be relinquished due to Russia's perceived need for a buffer zone.
Belousov is seeking to cover up Russia's military manpower problems. He claims that nearly 410,000 Russians have signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense since the beginning of 2025 - 8,200 per week or 32,800 per month.
Data from the Ukrainian General Staff on Russian casualties shows that Russian forces suffered an average of 34,600 casualties per month between January and November 2025 - suggesting that the number of soldiers recruited by Belousov is not fully replacing Russian losses. Belousov's claimed figure is likely exaggerated, as recent investigations by Russian opposition media examining the Russian federal budget's spending on conscript payments have shown.
The Kremlin's ongoing efforts to mobilize reservists for possible future deployment to Ukraine further demonstrate that Russia cannot meet its force generation requirements through the existing system, which uses high financial incentives to recruit volunteers, due to a lack of volunteers, a lack of resources to finance the payment of benefits, or both.
ISW continues to assess that the Kremlin’s efforts to deploy reservists in Ukraine are an inherently risky policy that threatens to undermine the Kremlin’s existing social contract with the population, and the Kremlin would likely not resort to this method of force generation unless absolutely necessary. Belousov is likely exaggerating the number of reservists being drafted to assuage domestic concerns about the mandatory mobilization of reservists.
Putin and Belousov emphasized Russia’s military and nuclear might while threatening Europe. Putin said it was "nonsense" that Russia posed a threat to Europe, and that NATO was rather threatening Russia by preparing for a future confrontation.
Putin and Belousov simultaneously emphasized Russia’s military expansion efforts, strategic nuclear forces, and new weapons systems, such as the "Burevestnik" missile and the "Poseidon" unmanned underwater vehicle. Belousov stated that Ukraine and the West are trying to prolong the war to weaken Russia, and that NATO's policies of preparing for a future war have created "prerequisites" for Russia's continued military actions in 2026. Belousov stated that Russia must therefore continue to impose its will on its "enemy", act preemptively, and improve its methods and techniques of waging war.
ISW continues to assess that Russia's ongoing military reforms and expansion efforts reflect the reality that Russia is unable to defeat Ukraine quickly and are part of the preparation for a potential conflict with NATO in the future.