Putin threatens to prolong war in Ukraine without «meaningful talks»

Putin has declared his intention to achieve his goals by military means. Photo: kremlin.ru

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared his intention to continue waging war against Ukraine, despite Kyiv, the United States and European countries working on peace proposals.

He said this during a meeting of the board of the Russian Ministry of Defence, as quoted by «RIA Novosti».

Vladimir Putin once again stressed that Russia intends to realise its stated «goals» of a full-scale invasion. According to him, Moscow is allegedly ready for a diplomatic settlement, but if the other side and its allies refuse to negotiate, the Russian authorities plan to use force.

«If the opposing side and their foreign patrons refuse to talk, Russia will seek the liberation of its historic lands by military means,» the Kremlin leader said.

Vladimir Putin also said that the issue of creating and expanding the so-called buffer zone, according to him, will continue to be resolved in a «consistent» manner.

Recently, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov has already stated that Moscow is ready to conclude a peace agreement, but does not intend to make concessions on the issue of territories.

At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv's position on Donbas remains unchanged — Ukraine will not agree to recognise this territory as Russian, either in fact or in law.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the United States is also offering compromise options, including the idea of creating a free economic zone. He stressed that such a model in no way implies governance by the Russian Federation.