Putin said Moscow’s original aims to demilitarize and “de-Nazify” Ukraine, as well as ensuring its neutrality, are unchanged.
Topline
Russia has not compromised its objectives in Ukraine and there will be no peace until it has achieved them, President Vladimir Putin said in a major press conference Thursday, as European leaders meet to debate a substantial support package for Kyiv and whether to launch formal membership talks for the country to join the bloc.Key Facts
“There will be peace when we achieve our goals,” Putin said at his annual press conference and phone-in, the first since Russia launched its invasion in 2022.
The mammoth event, which was canceled last year, typically lasts several hours and marks a rare opportunity for journalists to put questions directly to the Russian leader and allows members of the public to call in with their own questions.
Putin reiterated Moscow’s long standing talking points motivating its war in Ukraine, with key objectives including the need to “demilitarize” Ukraine, rid it of Nazis (a narrative widely debunked as propaganda) and ensuring Kyiv stays neutral and abandons its hope of joining NATO.
