MOSCOW, Dec 10: Russian President Vladimir Putin confirming the Kremlin’s position in the Ukraine war said that Moscow will continue to press its military advance in Ukraine until all the objectives of its “special military operation” are achieved, and further stressed that the conflict began long before Russia launched its military offence in 2022.
Speaking at a meeting of the presidential Human Rights Council on Tuesday via a video link, Putin reiterated that the stated aims of the “special military operation” – including the protection of residents in the self-declared Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and the “demilitarisation and denazification” of Ukraine – remain unchanged.
“We will, of course, see this through to its logical conclusion, until the goals of the special military operation are achieved,” he added.
Putin again claimed the roots of the conflict lay in Kyiv’s decision to deploy its armed forces to the Donbass region following the 2014 Maidan uprising, describing the area as being “historically Russian,” stating that Moscow was compelled to intervene.
“It’s about people – people who refused to accept the coup d’?tat in Ukraine in 2014, and a war began against them, with artillery, heavy equipment, tanks, and aircraft. That’s when the war began. We’re trying to end it, and we’re forced to do so by force of arms,” he said.
The Russian leader also welcomed the US’ renewed US diplomatic efforts, including President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace proposal, which Moscow has described as a potential basis for negotiations.
Earlier on December 8, Trump publicly pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to engage with Washington’s proposal, suggesting Kyiv had not fully examined it.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukraine of delaying talks at the urging of European states, adding that while it prefers to reach a settlement through negotiations, it will continue to press forward regardless until all its objectives are met.
(UNI)
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