Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, December 19th, that responsibility for ending the war in Ukraine now lies with the West and Kyiv, while signaling that Moscow is prepared to continue its military campaign if negotiations fail.
Speaking at his annual end-of-year press conference, which lasted four hours this year, he said “The ball is now fully and completely in the court of our Western opponents … first of all the head of the Kyiv regime and their European sponsors,” Putin said. He denied that Moscow was dragging out negotiations or rejecting compromise, claiming Russia had agreed to “some compromises,” without providing details.
When asked whether he would personally bear responsibility if the war continued into 2026 because he rejected a peace agreement, the president said “We did not start this war. This war began after the unconstitutional armed coup in Ukraine in 2014, followed by the launch of hostilities by the leaders of the Kyiv regime against their own citizens.”
The Russian leader also reiterated that Moscow would seek to seize the remaining Ukrainian territories it has proclaimed as Russian if talks fail. He said recent advances should compel Kyiv to accept a deal, an earlier version of which envisaged Ukraine ceding land to Russia.
“Our troops are advancing along the entire line of contact,” Putin said, listing a number of towns and cities in eastern Ukraine that Russian forces are targeting. “I’m sure that before the end of this year we will still witness new success.”
Putin confirmed that diplomatic contacts on a possible peace settlement are continuing and said further talks are expected this weekend, as the United States, Ukraine, and European allies refine a proposal first floated by Washington last month. He added that Russia and the United States were also pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to hold a presidential election, suggesting Moscow could halt long-range strikes on voting day.
Turning to Europe, Putin warned of “severe” consequences if the European Union were to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s recovery or defense, after Brussels failed to approve a plan to tap the funds. He also dismissed a European proposal to deploy a multinational force to police a potential peace deal, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov calling the idea a “brazen” threat to Russia.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged unity betweeen Ukraine and its ally Poland, warning that Moscow would target Warsaw if Russia’s invasion was not stopped. “Without our independence, Moscow will inevitably come for Poland. That’s why it’s important that we exist, it’s important that you exist, it’s very important that Ukraine and Poland exist, and it’s important that we stand together,” Zelensky said at a press conference in Warsaw with his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki.
