Putin: Ukraine Goals Will be Achieved  12/19 06:20

   Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized Friday that Moscow's troops were 
advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine and voiced confidence that the 
Kremlin would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv doesn't agree to Russia's 
conditions in peace talks.

   MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized Friday that 
Moscow's troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine and voiced 
confidence that the Kremlin would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv doesn't 
agree to Russia's conditions in peace talks.

   Speaking at his tightly orchestrated annual news conference, Putin declared 
that Russian forces have "fully seized strategic initiative" and would make 
more gains by the year's end.

   In the early days of the conflict in 2022, Ukraine's forces managed to 
thwart an attempt by Russia's larger, better-equipped army, to capture the 
capital of Kyiv. But the fighting soon settled into grinding battles, and 
Moscow's troops have made slow but steady progress over the years. Putin 
frequently touts this progress -- even though it is not the lightning advance 
many expected.

   "Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some 
areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors," 
Putin said at the live news conference, which is combined with a nationwide 
call-in show that offers Russians across the country the opportunity to ask 
questions of their leader.

   Putin, who has ruled the country for 25 years, has used the event to cement 
his power and air his views on domestic and global affairs.

   This year, the news conference took place against the backdrop of a peace 
plan in Ukraine put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite the 
extensive diplomatic push, Washington's efforts have run into sharply 
conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv.

   While the event has previously focused heavily on domestic questions -- and 
has offered Putin a chance to expound on topics from the price of eggs to water 
cuts -- Ukraine has dominated so far this year. Since it is highly 
choreographed, that could reflect the Kremlin's desire to assuage the public 
after nearly four years of fighting.

   Russian demands remain unchanged

   Putin reaffirmed that Moscow was ready for a peaceful settlement that would 
address the "root causes" of the conflict, a reference to the Kremlin's tough 
conditions for a deal.

   The Russian leader wants all the areas in four key regions captured by his 
forces, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, to be 
recognized as Russian territory. He has also insisted that Ukraine withdraw 
from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscow's forces haven't captured yet. 
Kyiv has publicly rejected all these demands.

   The Kremlin has also insisted that Ukraine abandon its bid to join the 
Western NATO military alliance and warned that it wouldn't accept the 
deployment of any troops from NATO members and would view them as "legitimate 
target."

   Putin also has repeatedly said that Ukraine must limit the size of its army 
and give official status to the Russian language -- demands he has made from 
the outset of the conflict.

   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed readiness to drop 
Ukraine's bid to join NATO if the U.S. and other Western nations give Kyiv 
security guarantees similar to those offered to alliance members. But at the 
same time, he has emphasized that Ukraine believes NATO membership remains the 
best security guarantee.

   "The United States don't see us in NATO, for now," Zelenskyy said this week. 
"Politicians change."

   Putin warns any seizure of Russian assets will backfire

   As it faces grinding Russian advances across the front line and relentless 
attacks on its energy facilities, Ukraine is in on the verge of bankruptcy -- 
and it desperately needs more cash from its Western allies.

   On Friday, European Union leaders agreed to provide a massive interest-free 
loan, but they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have 
allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds.

   The leaders tried to reassure Belgium, where most of the frozen assets are 
held, that they would protect it from any retaliation from Moscow if it backed 
the plan, but the leaders eventually opted to borrow the money on capital 
markets.

   Putin commented that using the Russian assets to help Kyiv would have 
amounted to "robbery," adding that the move would have spooked investors, 
"dealing not only an image blow but undermining confidence in the eurozone."

   Putin says troop numbers are strong

   Putin told the audience that the flow of volunteer soldiers has remained 
strong, topping 400,000 this year. It was not possible to independently verify 
that claim since little is known about the recruitment effort.

   But the government offers relatively high pay and extensive benefits that 
have helped swell troop ranks. The Kremlin says that it exclusively relies on 
volunteers to fight in Ukraine, but some media reports and rights groups have 
said that military officers often coerce conscripts into signing military 
contracts.

   Asked by a soldier's widow about the slowness in paying out a pension, Putin 
apologized and vowed that the issue would be quickly solved -- an exchange 
typical of the annual event, which the Russian leader often uses to show his 
command of a wide array of subjects and his ability to solve problems.