MOSCOW.– Speaking at his year-end press conference, which offers him an opportunity to strengthen his power, the president of Russia, Vladimir Putinstated that there will be no peace in Ukraine until its goals are achieved and that those goals have not changed.
In a rare revelation about what Moscow calls its special military operation, Putin ruled out the need for a second mobilization of reservists to fight in Ukraine, something that has proven unpopular in the past. He noted that there are now some 617,000 Russian soldiers deployed there, including 244,000 who were called up to fight alongside professional Russian military personnel.
It is the first time that Putin, who has greatly limited his interactions with foreign media, has received several questions from Western journalists since before the fighting in Ukraine began.
The president did not hold his traditional news conference last year, after his army failed to reach kyiv and as the Ukrainian army regained territory in the east and south of the country.
But now that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is forced to ask the United States for more help, the counteroffensive is bogged down, and there are reports of fractures in Western support for Ukraine, the Russian president decided to appear before the media again, although the program was highly choreographed and more of a spectacle than a scrutiny.
The day began with questions about the conflict in Ukraine and reflected the fear of some Russians that there would be another round of mobilizations. Putin ordered a partial military mobilization in September 2022 to bolster his forces in Ukraine, sparking protests.
“There is no need” for new mobilization, Putin said, as 1,500 men join the army in the country every day. He noted, a total of 486,000 soldiers had signed a contract with the Russian army.
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AP/File
Putin said Moscow’s goals — “denazification, demilitarization and a neutral status” of Ukraine — had not changed.
The term “denazification” refers to Russian accusations that the Ukrainian government is heavily influenced by radical nationalists and neo-Nazi groups. Ukraine and the West have ridiculed those claims.
Putin has also demanded that Ukraine remain neutral and not join NATO.
“There will be peace when we achieve our goals,” Putin said.
Source: AP
