Putin remains confident of victory at the economic forum

Ukraine war

Putin remains confident of victory at the economic forum

Kremlin leader Putin emphasizes his willingness to engage in dialogue in the Ukraine war. Despite problems on the front, he is calling for additional areas and also refers to an alleged agreement with US President Trump.

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin insists on his demand for full Russian control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a prerequisite for peace in Ukraine. The demand is not a contradiction to the postulated willingness to engage in dialogue, Putin said at the meeting with foreign news agencies.

The Russian president repeated old theses: Russia is attacking on all fronts, he said. Ukraine, on the other hand, was short of soldiers because monthly losses and desertions far exceeded new recruitment. He estimated the deficit at a total of 30,000 men per month. According to Putin, the number of 15,000 recruits pressed into the Ukrainian army contradicts the official figures from Kiev. After that, more than 30,000 are won per month.

To justify his demand for the entire Donbass, the Russian president also referred to territorial gains that he said the Russian military was constantly making. The figure he gave of 2,440 square kilometers is also significantly higher than Kiev’s information. According to calculations by Ukrainian military observers close to the government, the Russian army has conquered almost 700 square kilometers at a decreasing pace since the beginning of the year.

Putin emphasized that “we are undoubtedly ready to reach an agreement with Ukraine.” However, the Kremlin chief emphasized that the basis for this was the Anchorage agreements. US President Donald Trump received Putin in the Alaskan city last summer. However, no concrete results were announced afterwards.