'Ball in court' of West and Kiev on Ukraine talks, says Putin
MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on Dec. 19, 2025. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Dec. 19 that the "ball" to end the war in Ukraine was in the West's and Kiev's court, denying that Moscow was dragging out negotiations and turning down proposals on the almost four-year conflict.
"The ball is entirely and fully on the court of the head of the Kiev regime and its European sponsors," Putin said during his end-of-year press conference, adding that Moscow had accepted some "compromises" in a U.S.-proposed deal.
Putin said Moscow’s troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine, voicing confidence that the Kremlin's military goals would be achieved nearly four years after he ordered troops into the neighboring country.
As Russia's offensive enters another winter, Putin has spent days telling Russians that Moscow will seize the rest of eastern Ukraine by force if diplomacy fails.
Lanched in February 2022, the Russian leader's assault on Ukraine has become Europe's worst conflict since World War II, killing thousands on both sides.
Russia has since then lived under massive Western sanctions, along with a domestic crackdown on dissent unseen since the Soviet era.
"Our troops are advancing along the entire line of contact... the enemy is retreating in all directions," Putin said at the set-piece event, shown on big screens across Russian cities.
"I'm sure that before the end of this year we will still witness new successes," he added, reeling off a list of Ukrainian cities in the crosshairs of his army.
Reinforced security measures were in place around Moscow's Kremlin and Red Square with some areas closed for pedestrians. Dozens of police cars and special services could be seen in the streets, AFP reporters witnessed.
Putin was speaking as the EU scrambled to help Kiev avoid a deal pushed by the United States, seen as imposing an effective capitulation on Ukraine, and as the Kremlin seeks to keep Europe out of the settlement talks.
Escalating rhetoric, Putin earlier this week called EU leaders "piglets" and vowed to seize the rest of Ukrainian land he has proclaimed as Russian "by military means" if talks fail.
In Friday's speech, he warned of "severe" consequences if EU powers followed through on proposals to use Russian assets frozen in Europe to fund Ukraine's defense.
In a tightly-controlled TV show, he takes questions from the press and call-ins from people around Russia's 12 time zones.
The Kremlin said almost three million questions had been filed by citizens ahead of the event.
Moscow has seized swathes of eastern Ukraine and is demanding that Kiev surrender even more territory for fighting to end, which is unacceptable to Ukraine.
Russia has since summer advanced rapidly on the battlefield, especially in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
Intense fighting has continued in Ukraine, even as the United States intensifies its separate talks with both sides — with Moscow, whose troops have the upper hand, insisting it wants a deal before a ceasefire.
U.S. President Donald Trump said recently that Russia has a more favourable negotiating position, hinting that Kiev should give up land.
The Europeans are worried Trump will force a rushed deal that will cede too much to Moscow.
Economy, repression
Putin also downplayed concerns over Russia's slowing economy, which has been on a war footing for almost four years and has prioritised defense over all other sectors.
He said the Russian economy was stable and compared it favourably to sluggish growth across Europe.
Russia has also been living under huge sanctions and persistent inflation. The economy is teetering on the edge of a recession, with growth hovering just above zero.
Criticism of the Ukraine offensive is banned in Russia, and Moscow has punished thousands of its citizens for speaking out against it — either with fines or prison sentences.
All of Putin's political opponents are in exile, prison or dead.
Putin, a former KGB agent, became the president of Russia after Boris Yeltsin stepped down in December 1999.