Published on
•Updated
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened on Wednesday that Moscow will seek to extend its “gains” in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject the Kremlin’s demands.
Speaking at an annual meeting with top Russian military officers, Putin rejected any possibility of the Kremlin accepting the amended US-led peace plan to put an end to its war against Ukraine.
He said that Moscow “would prefer” to achieve its goals and “eliminate the root causes” by diplomatic means, but “if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means.”
According to Moscow, the “root causes” include Ukraine’s aspirations to join both the EU and NATO as well as NATO’s alleged violation of commitments not to expand eastwards, Kyiv’s alleged discrimination against ethnic Russians and what Putin calls the “denazification” of Ukraine.
Putin and other Russian officials have used these arguments to justify the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but failed to provide evidence for any of these allegations.
With Putin still insisting on achieving these false goals, the Kremlin is likely to continue its war against Ukraine.
‘European swine wanted to feast on Russia’s collapse’
Meanwhile, Putin once again blamed the West for Moscow’s war against Ukraine, saying that it started the war.
Russia started its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has refused to put an end to it or agree to a ceasefire.
The Russian president specifically blamed the previous US administration of President Joe Biden for “initiating” Russia’s all-out war, adding that Washington’s allies in Europe “joined the actions of the then-US administration” in what Putin described as hoping to profit from the possible collapse of Russia.
“European swine wanted to feast on the collapse of Russia,” he said, using the uncommon term “podsvinki,” a word former President and Putin’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev previously used as a slur against Western democracies.
“Immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it seemed to us that we would quickly become members of the so-called civilised family of European nations. Today it turns out there is no civilisation there, only complete degradation.”
He went on slamming Europe, saying that although he “hopes” that Europe will return to dialogue with Moscow, this scenario is unlikely with “the current European elites”.
Putin said this in reference to the unlikely possibility of European leaders restoring dialogue with Russia on Moscow’s terms and siding with Russian demands.
“It is unlikely that this is possible with the current political elites. But in any case, it will be inevitable as we continue to strengthen our position. If not with the current politicians, then when the political elites in Europe change.”
Putin also said that the US administration is “demonstrating such readiness”.
“We are engaged in dialogue with them. I hope the same will happen with Europe.”
Putin threatens Europe and Ukraine, flexing nuclear muscles
Addressing Russia’s top military officers, Putin also praised the Russian military and particularly noted the modernisation of its nuclear arsenal, claiming no other country can compete.
“Ninety-two per cent of our nuclear forces are modernised. No other country, no other nuclear power in the world has this,” he said.
“We are developing new weapons and new means of destruction. No one else in the world has them, and they will not appear anytime soon.”
Putin specifically spoke about Russia’s new nuclear-capable intermediate-range Oreshnik ballistic missile that he said will officially enter combat duty this month.
Russia first tested a conventionally armed version of the Oreshnik to strike a Ukrainian factory in Dnipro in November 2024, and Putin has boasted that it is impossible to intercept.
Putin praised Moscow’s all-out war against Ukraine, saying thanks to the full-scale invasion, Russia “has regained its full sovereignty and become a sovereign country in every sense of the word.”
“We have regained this status,” Putin said. Russia has been a sovereign state since declaring so in June 1990, in the lead-up to the Soviet Union’s dissolution in December 1991.