Putin Rejects Ukraine Proposal to Limit Strikes

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Russia would continue pursuing on the battlefield its goal of fully capturing four Ukrainian regions, rejecting a new Ukrainian proposal to limit military action, Reuters reported.

In an interview with Russian state television journalist Pavel Zarubin, Putin acknowledged a difficult period but pledged to defend Russia and said the country must increase its air defense capacity against Ukrainian drone attacks. He noted that Russia is coping well with fuel supply problems linked to Ukrainian strikes.

In the interview, Putin said Ukraine had proposed that the two sides stop deep strikes as a step toward peace, but Moscow believes this is a way to reduce pressure on Ukrainian forces along the front line. It is clear why this proposal is being made — because our retaliatory strikes deep inside Ukrainian territory are significantly stronger, have a greater effect and, frankly, are more destructive, the Russian leader said.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote an open letter to Putin proposing an in-person meeting, but the Russian leader rejected the offer. Putin has long insisted that Ukraine give up positions it still holds in the Donetsk region of Donbas as a key condition for any peace agreement.

The Ukrainian president’s office has so far not responded to a request for comment on Putin’s remarks. At a meeting with ministers and heads of major oil companies earlier in the day, Putin acknowledged that the strikes had caused fuel shortages in various Russian regions, but stressed that Russia is managing the situation.