President Vladimir Putin talked up Russia’s
offensive in Ukraine as he staged a marathon press conference a week after
saying he plans to stay in the Kremlin until at least 2030.
Evidently bolstered by Kyiv’s recent
struggles on the battlefield, the 71-year-old looked relaxed as he brushed off
nearly two years of Western sanctions and reaffirmed his maximalist goals in
Ukraine.
“There will be peace when we achieve our
goals,” Putin said, speaking at his first traditional end-of-year appearance
since Russia shocked the world by sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Those goals “are not changing”, he
insisted, “the de-nazification and de-militarisation of Ukraine, and its
neutral status.”
Russian forces were “improving their
position on almost the entire line of contact” in Ukraine, he said.
Putin’s four-hour appearance on national
television comes at one of the lowest points for Kyiv in the conflict, which
has claimed tens of thousands of lives and erased entire cities across Ukraine’s
south and east.
Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive
petered out without making much progress and its Western support is fraying due
to growing fatigue amid some US lawmakers and frictions within the European
Union.
Putin appeared to point to these,
stressing that nearly two years of Western sanctions and international
isolation had done little to hurt Russia’s economy or morale.
“There is enough for us not only to feel
confident, but to move forward,” Putin said.
Turning Tide
The echoes of Russia’s military
operation reverberated in the grand Moscow hall where hundreds of journalists
passed four police checkpoints to hear Putin speak.
Russia said it had downed nine Ukrainian
drones heading for Moscow just hours before Putin’s event was set to kick off.
Ukraine said it had shot down all but
one of the 42 Russian drones that attacked Odesa, in a barrage that wounded 11
people.
Ukraine’s strong resistance and support
from its allies had surprised observers around the world and in Moscow, where
many had expected to take Kyiv in a few days.
But almost two years into his offensive,
Putin appears to be sensing the tide turning in his favour.
European Cracks
Putin’s conference coincided with a
crucial summit in Brussels during which Ukraine had hoped to secure a clear
path to membership of the EU.
But that drive has been hampered by
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a Putin ally who stands firmly against
Ukraine’s membership.
Orban reaffirmed that position before
the start of talks in Brussels Thursday, telling reporters Kyiv had not yet met
the “merit-based” criteria to join the bloc.
“There is no reason to discuss anything
because preconditions were not met,” Orban said.
Hopes For Detained Americans
Putin was further bolstered by Zelensky’s
visit this week to Washington, where he failed to overcome Republican Opposition
in Congress to approving a new $60-billion aid package.
Moscow, meanwhile, is still able to
sustain its military effort through oil sales, which Putin discussed this month
in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Addressing worries at home, Putin sought
to play down the idea of another military draft, after a September 2022 call-up
led to protests and a mass exodus of men.
Having confirmed plans to seek another
term in March, he said Russia already had “617,000 people in the conflict zone”
and was recruiting 1,500 people daily.
“To date, there is no need for a new
mobilisation,” he said.
Opposition to Putin has been muzzled by
an intensifying crackdown on dissent and on the media, which has also affected
the Western press.
Wall Street Journal Moscow correspondent
Evan Gershkovich has been in detention in Russia since March on spy charges
that he and his employer denies.
Putin said there is “dialogue” with the
US on Gershkovich and another detained American, former Marine and businessman
Paul Whelan.
“I hope we will find a solution,” Putin
said, responding to a question about a possible prisoner swap.
But Washington “should also hear us and
make a decision that will suit the Russian Federation”, he said.
AFP
