Putin praises Ukraine gains and warns of further military action
Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed what he called significant gains by Russian forces in Ukraine, using his annual press conference in Moscow to warn that Moscow is prepared to push further if peace efforts fail. The marathon question and answer event, a hallmark of his nearly 25 years in power, was dominated by the war and Russia’s confrontation with the West. Putin claimed that Russian troops now hold the strategic initiative along most of the front line. He said his forces have created, and intend to expand, a “security buffer zone” near Russia’s border to prevent Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory. The Russian leader repeated that the Kremlin’s goals in Ukraine remain unchanged. He insisted that the objectives of what Moscow still calls its “special military operation” will be fully achieved, either through negotiations or by force. Putin said […]