No Compromise: Putin Sticks to Maximalist Terms on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated Moscow’s uncompromising stance on peace talks with Ukraine during his annual end-of-year press conference on December 19, insisting that any negotiations must be based on Russia’s maximalist conditions.

“We are ready and willing to resolve this conflict peacefully according to the principles I outlined last June,” Putin said, adding that Moscow does not recognize Ukraine’s willingness to discuss territorial issues. His comments underline Russia’s persistent insistence on terms that Kyiv has consistently rejected, even as international pressure mounts for diplomatic solutions.

Putin referred to demands he first outlined publicly in 2024, which tied any ceasefire to the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from four regions claimed by Russia. In practice, Russian forces control only parts of Luhansk Oblast, and the Kremlin continues to focus on pressuring Kyiv in eastern Ukraine, demanding troop withdrawals from parts of Donetsk and Luhansk that Moscow has failed to capture despite more than a decade of conflict.

“Nevertheless, we see, feel, and know about certain signals, including from Ukraine, indicating some readiness to engage in dialogue,” Putin added.

During the conference, Putin also claimed that Russian forces were advancing along the entire front line, asserting that Moscow had fully occupied the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, which President Volodymyr Zelensky had recently visited. Dismissing Zelensky’s presence there, Putin referred to the Ukrainian leader as “an artist” and insisted that Kupiansk was under Russian control.

The press event, a staple of Putin’s rule with few interruptions, notably canceled in 2022 following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, combines a traditional press conference with a call-in format. Questions, supposedly submitted by Russian citizens, typically cover domestic issues like social policy, infrastructure, and complaints about local authorities, though in recent years, the conflict in Ukraine has increasingly dominated the discussion.