Putin Says Russia Will Make No Concessions to End Ukraine War

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia will not make any concessions to bring an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine, reiterating that Moscow has not changed the conditions it put forward for a ceasefire nearly a year and a half ago.

Speaking at his annual year-end question-and-answer session and press conference, Putin said Russia’s position on ending the conflict remains unchanged. “We have not altered the conditions we proposed earlier,” he said, underlining that Moscow is unwilling to revise its demands despite continuing international efforts to push for negotiations.

Putin’s remarks come amid reports of ongoing discussions around a ceasefire proposal put forward by the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has once again entered political debate in the United States. The Russian leader made it clear that any peace initiative would have to align with Russia’s stated terms.

The annual interaction with citizens and journalists, held by Putin at the end of every year since 2001, often stretches for several hours. The Kremlin said that Putin received around 26 lakhs questions this year.

Putin once again insisted that Ukraine must withdraw its forces from the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Russia claims to have annexed these four territories, though Russian forces do not have full control over them.