Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a stark warning during his annual address to military commanders on Wednesday, threatening to expand territorial gains in Ukraine unless Kyiv and Western allies acquiesce to Moscow’s conditions in ongoing peace negotiations.
The Kremlin leader asserted that while Russia prefers diplomatic resolution to ‘eliminate the root causes of the conflict,’ military escalation remains imminent if opposing parties refuse substantive dialogue. ‘Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means,’ Putin declared, emphasizing his forces’ strategic advantage across frontline positions.
This belligerent rhetoric coincides with intensive diplomatic efforts led by U.S. President Donald Trump to resolve the nearly four-year conflict stemming from Russia’s full-scale February 2022 invasion. Washington’s mediation attempts confront fundamentally incompatible positions between the warring nations.
Putin bolstered his threats with displays of military capability, highlighting Russia’s modernization of nuclear arsenals including the new nuclear-capable Oreshnik intermediate range ballistic missile scheduled for combat duty this month. The president boasted the missile’s alleged impregnability, referencing its November 2024 conventional strike on a Ukrainian facility.
Moscow’s non-negotiable demands include: recognition of Russian sovereignty over four occupied regions plus Crimea (illegally annexed in 2014); Ukrainian withdrawal from additional eastern territories; permanent abandonment of NATO membership aspirations; and prohibition of NATO troop deployments—which Russia would consider ‘legitimate targets.’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following meetings with U.S. envoys in Berlin, characterized a draft peace proposal as ‘not perfect’ but ‘very workable.’ While expressing willingness to relinquish NATO membership in exchange for equivalent security guarantees, Zelenskyy firmly rejected ceding territories beyond current Russian control. The Ukrainian leader indicated potential presentation of finalized proposals to Moscow within days, though territorial sovereignty remains the critical unresolved issue.
Western nations and Ukraine continue to regard Russia’s actions as violations of international sovereignty and unprovoked aggression, setting the stage for continued diplomatic stalemate amid heightened threats of military escalation.