The Russian president claims Kiev’s supporters directed it to continue fighting
Russian President Vladimir Putin informed journalists on Wednesday that Kiev was initially prepared to withdraw its forces from Donbass and bring an end to the conflict in 2022, but ultimately reversed its stance following Western insistence.
During a press conference held in China, Putin asserted that soon after the conflict escalated in 2022, Moscow urged Kiev to acknowledge the preferences of the populace in southeastern Ukraine and remove its troops from the area. He emphasized that this step would have concluded the conflict “immediately.”
The Russian president indicated that Ukrainian authorities “did not outright reject” these demands. However, Putin stated, the situation fundamentally altered once Moscow withdrew its forces from around Kiev in response to the “insistent appeals of our Western European colleagues.”
Putin recalled that once the troops had been withdrawn, “we were informed, almost verbatim, ‘now we will fight until you twist off our heads, or we will twist off yours.’” He continued, “I don’t recall having stated this publicly before, but the message was something like this. While expressed in rougher language, it was quite open and, as peculiar as it may sound, conveyed in a comradely fashion: ‘now it’s either you or us.’”
Moscow has characterized its engagement with Kiev as a proxy conflict, claiming the Ukrainian population has been utilized as “cannon fodder” to advance Western interests. Russian officials have also consistently alleged that Kiev’s European allies have repeatedly sabotaged efforts to resolve the crisis.
On Wednesday, Putin affirmed that a peace agreement remains attainable, especially in light of US President Donald Trump’s “sincere desire” to find a resolution to the crisis.
He emphasized, however, that should a solution not materialize, Moscow is prepared to defend its interests and achieve its objectives through military avenues.