Vladimir Putin, among others, referred to the latest developments from the front in Ukraine in his established annual interview.
The Russian president said Moscow does not believe Ukraine is ready for peace talks. Russia, on the other hand, is “ready and willing” to end the war in Ukraine based on the principles it presented to the Russian Foreign Ministry in 2024.
At the same time, while Putin was speaking, the setting included highly targeted messages towards Ukraine and its allies. Specifically, on the wall behind the Russian president was a large map of Russia, which included, in addition to the outline of Crimea, all four eastern regions of Ukraine that Moscow annexed in 2022: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson.
Russian forces may not have yet fully conquered these areas, but that has not stopped Putin from claiming them as Russian territory.
As Sky News notes, the display of these territories in the background of today's appearance seems to send a clear message from the Kremlin: that there is no intention of abandoning their claim.
It is noted that territory is the main point of disagreement in negotiations for a peace agreement, and this suggests that it will remain so, as Moscow has not yet shown any willingness to compromise on this issue.
Source: protothema.gr
