The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is sending a clear message to the West and Ukraine, just hours after the critical negotiations he held in the Kremlin with US officials, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, regarding President Trump's peace plan.
Putin made it clear that Russia will achieve its goals in Ukraine, if not through diplomatic means, then at least through military force.
The Russian President revealed that the territories in Donbass and Novorossiya will be liberated by military means since the Ukrainians decided to fight until the end.
This is an absolutely clear position that puts any negotiating efforts by the US or the West in a new context.
Although Moscow had clarified what the goals of its special operation in Ukraine were, the overwhelming successes of the Russian army and the impending collapse of the Ukrainian defense are creating new facts, to such an extent that the Russians are now beginning to speak openly about the conquest of Odesa and the cutting off of Ukraine from the Black Sea.
Moreover, the warning had been issued at an unsuspecting time: the longer Kyiv does not agree to a diplomatic solution, the worse the terms of the next proposal for an agreement will be.
We will liberate Donbass, Novorossiya
Russia will liberate Donbass and Novorossiya either militarily or by other means, Putin asserted in an interview with the India Today television channel ahead of his two-day visit to India (Note: the Russian president's full interview will be released at 17:30 Greece time). "It all comes down to this. Either we will liberate these areas by armed means, or Ukrainian troops will leave these areas and stop fighting there," Putin stressed.
They decided to fight until the end
As the Russian President said, the Ukrainians, despite the results of the 2022 referendums, then refused to withdraw their troops from the territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, deciding to continue hostilities and "fight until the end." "The Armed Forces of Ukraine were warned from the beginning that the residents of the DNR and LNR did not want to live with Ukraine, participated in the referendum, and voted in favor of independence. Ukrainian troops were offered to withdraw, and then there would be no military actions. However, Kyiv rejected this proposal, choosing to resolve the situation through armed conflict," Putin said. "Well, now they fought until the end," Putin added, assuring that Russia "will liberate Donbass and Novorossiya in any case."
The 2022 referendums
The referendums on the accession of four regions—the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics as well as the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions—to Russia were held from September 23 to 27, 2022. According to the ballot count, accession to Russia was supported by 87 to 99% of participants in various regions. On September 30, 2022, Putin signed the agreements for the accession of the new subjects to the Russian Federation at the request of the heads of these regions. Earlier, assessments had been voiced in Russia regarding the timeline for conquering the remaining part of the DNR.
What he said about the US peace plan
Referring to the US peace plan, Putin said that the Americans divided the 28 points of President Donald Trump's peace plan for resolving the conflict in Ukraine into four packages and proposed discussing each separately. He noted that it was essentially the same points of the US peace plan. "These 28 points of the American peace plan are still relevant and continue to be discussed, it's just that Washington proposed dividing them into four separate packages and suggested we discuss them one by one," Putin said. The Russian President explained that the Americans brought documents that the Russian side had not previously seen, which is why the participants were forced to examine almost every point. The meeting with the American delegation was extensive, but, as Putin noted, the discussion was necessary.
The 4 packages
According to the American newspaper, the New York Times, one of the packages concerns issues of Ukraine's sovereignty, such as limiting the size of its army in peacetime and the range of missiles. Other packages cover issues of territorial integrity, economic cooperation, and broader European security.
The disagreements
According to the Russian leader, the proposals discussed were based on agreements reached between the presidents of Russia and the US at the summit in Anchorage, Alaska. However, issues with which Russia disagrees were raised during the meeting. "Yes, there were such issues and we discussed them," Putin said, who nevertheless refused to comment publicly on the points of the peace plan for Ukraine, adding that it is necessary to participate in resolving the conflict, not hinder it: "I think it is premature to say now what does not suit us and what we could agree on."
"Shuttle diplomacy"
The United States, conducting talks with Russia, Ukraine, and Europe, is practicing what Putin called "shuttle diplomacy." "They talked with representatives of Ukraine, then with the Europeans, then they came to us. Then meetings with Ukrainians and Europeans again," said Putin, who characterized finding solutions in Ukraine as a difficult mission: ""It's hard work, it's a difficult mission."
The meeting
The meeting between Putin, Witkoff, and Kushner took place in the early hours of December 3 in the Kremlin and lasted almost five hours. The Russian side also included the President's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, Kirill Dmitriev, and Presidential Aide, Yuri Ushakov. Various plans for resolving the conflict in Ukraine were discussed during the meeting. According to Ushakov, the discussion was constructive, very useful, and comprehensive. Furthermore, Ushakov stated that Putin conveyed greetings to his American counterpart through Witkoff, as well as some political messages.
We do not want to return to the G8
In addition, Putin declared that Russia does not seek to return to the G8 and expressed his surprise that the G7 countries continue to call themselves the G7. "I do not understand why the G7 countries call themselves the G7. What is great about that?" Putin said. The issue of Russia's return to the G8 is also one of the points of the US peace plan.
The interview lasted 100 minutes because Putin liked the questions
The Vice-President of the India Today television channel, Kalli Puri, stated that the interview of the Indian journalists with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, lasted 100 minutes instead of the initially scheduled one hour, as Putin liked the questions and the discussion.
Odesa is already in the plan
Beyond Donbass and Novorossiya, however, the Russians' target appears to be Odesa too, as a series of recent developments seem to accelerate developments in this direction. On the one hand, Putin's order for the creation of security zones along the Ukrainian borders, which brings Odesa closer to Kherson, and on the other hand, the strategy for cutting Ukraine off from the Black Sea against the backdrop of Ukrainian attacks on the Russian fleet's tankers. "Speaking about the attacks on tankers, Putin characterized Ukraine's actions as piracy. He mentioned that Russia "will expand the strikes" on Ukrainian ports and ships and, if the attacks continue, "will consider reciprocal measures" against ships of countries assisting Ukraine. The most radical way is to cut Ukraine off from the sea," added the Ukrainian journalist Ruslan Ostashko, noting that the confrontation is escalating and that he hopes for a review of this practice by Kyiv. For his part, the Russian military analyst and retired Colonel, Viktor Baranets, named the crucial prerequisite for depriving Ukraine of access to the Black Sea. As he said, the strategic warning by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, regarding cutting the country off from the maritime area can turn into a specific military scenario. According to the expert, the intention to deprive Kyiv of access to the Black Sea is inevitable. The issue of the Russian Armed Forces seizing Odesa and Mykolaiv "is already in the plan," Baranets added.
End of access to the Black Sea
Baranets clarified that, as a result of the so-called naval exclusion zone, Ukrainian ports will cease to operate, while all vessels carrying weapons, ammunition, and mercenaries to the country will be destroyed. Thus, the analyst predicted, Ukraine will definitively become a landlocked state and its economy will suffer serious damage. As he said, Russia will gain unimpeded control over the entire northern Black Sea region, including the Danube, as well as the ability to block attempts by third countries to use the sea to support Kyiv.
Without Odesa, victory is not victory
Some even state it explicitly: "Without Odesa, our Victory is not Victory." The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, had recently warned Volodymyr Zelensky about the same thing. "Ukraine could instantly lose access to the sea, Odesa and Mykolaiv, if it continues to torpedo the course of negotiations," Lukashenko said. And as it seems, this is exactly what Kyiv is doing: as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, Kyiv "is stuck" on the point of Trump's plan that provides for the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the "50 km of the occupied territory of the DNR." "Rubio is wrong. And if the Americans really think this way, it means they have an extremely limited understanding of the Russians and their goals, and this clearly plays into the hands of our enemies, who confuse the situation with their interpretations, further distancing Trump from understanding the issue. We are fighting for the Black Sea, to cut off access to it for Ukraine and everyone behind the pirate attacks on our ships. We are fighting for control of the European part of the continent, and the Baltic countries should prepare: voluntarily taking on the role of a 'rampart' being armed against us, they will take the first hit – and the Russians should not be underestimated, this strike may well be preemptive," notes the "Svarshchiki" channel.
Security zones bring Odesa closer
There is also another warning, which the President of Russia had expressed earlier. During his visit to one of the OGV headquarters, he set the task of creating a security zone along the border with Ukraine. But how large should the area of the zone be? In 2024, the President stated that the demilitarized zone in Ukraine must be at such a distance as to ensure the safety of peaceful Russian cities from shelling. On April 25, 2024, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that with the increase in the range of missiles supplied to Kyiv, the security zone required for Russia's safety would need to be expanded. That is, according to this logic, over 300 km. For comparison, the distance between Kherson and Odesa is about 200 km.
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