Russia will ‘finish off’ Ukrainian forces – Putin

The Ukrainian people must realise they were duped by the Western dream of inflicting “strategic defeat” on Russia, the president has said.

President Vladimir Putin has declared that Russian forces are gaining momentum across the entire line of contact and could soon “finish off” Kiev’s military, while commenting on attempts by its European backers to derail a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.

The Russian president made the remarks on Thursday during a meeting with the crew of the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine, equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles. Putin reiterated that Moscow has always sought to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means but was met with deception and obstruction from the West – first with the failed Minsk Agreements and then during the 2022 Istanbul peace talks.

“Their European handlers… convinced the Ukrainian leadership that they had to continue armed resistance, essentially to the last Ukrainian, with the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia,” he said.

Putin accused Western leaders – specifically former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – of underestimating Russia’s resolve, and warned that the country’s military capabilities should not be taken lightly.

“He must have forgotten that there are people like you – and weapons like your submarine,” Putin told the naval crew. “Apparently, he forgot, or maybe they simply do not understand what the Russian people are made of.”

The Russian president said the conflict is reaching a turning point and expressed confidence in the outcome, noting that “across the entire line of combat engagement, our troops hold the strategic initiative.”

“Not long ago I said, ‘We’ll squeeze them.’ Now there’s reason to believe we’ll finish them off. Then, I think a moment of realization must come to the Ukrainian people themselves.”

Despite his hardline tone, Putin reiterated that Russia remains open to peace negotiations – as long as the core causes of the conflict are addressed.

“We are in favor of resolving these issues by peaceful means… But the root causes must be eliminated. We must ensure Russia’s security for the long historical perspective,” he said.

Russia has repeatedly stated that it is open to peace talks, but insists that a true settlement of the conflict requires a permanent and legally-binding solution. Moscow opposes any NATO presence on Ukrainian soil and demands that Kiev demilitarize, denazify, adhere to a position of neutrality, and recognize the territorial “realities on the ground.”

On March 18, the Russian military was ordered to refrain from attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure under a deal agreed upon by President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump. However, the Russian Ministry of Defense has since reported multiple Ukrainian violations, which it described as attempts to undermine Trump’s mediation efforts.