Speaking on the sidelines of Russia's annual economic forum in St. Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin told a group of foreign media editors that Russia would be prepared to achieve victory in Ukraine through military means if no diplomatic settlement could be reached. At the same time, he said Moscow remained willing to pursue a negotiated resolution based on compromises he said were discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Putin reiterated Moscow's core condition for an end to the conflict - that Ukraine surrender the remainder of the eastern Donbas region that Russia does not yet control. He described the current status of territorial control in eastern Ukraine and pointed to what he said were recent battlefield gains.
"The offensive is ongoing on a daily basis. At present, the Russian Federation has taken full control of the Luhansk People’s Republic - 100 percent. And it has brought over 85 percent of the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic under its control," Putin said.
He added that Russia was "certainly prepared and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine through peaceful means," specifying that any such settlement should be "on the basis we discussed during our meeting with President Trump in Anchorage." Putin said Russia agreed to the compromises described in that meeting and that the Ukrainian side must also accept them for the conflict to "quickly come to a natural conclusion." The specifics of the compromises were not detailed in his remarks.
On the subject of advanced weaponry, Putin addressed the Oreshnik hypersonic missile. He said Russia has not yet used the system in full combat conditions against Ukraine, asserting that it has only been test fired to observe results and inform decisions about potential future use, including against urban targets.
Putin characterized the Oreshnik as nuclear-capable with a range exceeding 5,000 km (3,100 miles). He has previously stated that the missile is impossible to intercept, a point that he reiterated, while noting that Western experts have questioned that assessment.
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