On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia would refrain from launching new attacks on other countries if his nation is shown “respect.”
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that the Kremlin leader delivered these comments during his annual televised press briefing in Moscow amid ongoing concerns among nations regarding Russia’s security threat.
“Will there be additional special military operations? There will be none if you show us respect and consider our interests, just as we have consistently attempted to consider yours,” Putin stated.
According to AFP, Putin employs the term “special military operation” to characterize the Ukraine conflict.
He further stated that there would be no more Russian invasions “if you don’t deceive us as you did with NATO’s eastward expansion,” the source reported.
The BBC reported that the Russian leader also asserted he was “ready and willing” to conclude the war in Ukraine “peacefully,” though he provided minimal details indicating a readiness to compromise.
The annual press conference, which usually lasts a minimum of four hours, includes questions from journalists and Russian citizens nationwide.
Reuters noted that over 2.5 million questions were submitted for this year’s gathering, which concentrated significantly on the Ukraine conflict.
According to The Associated Press, Putin also mentioned during the event that the country’s “troops are advancing” and voiced confidence that Russia will achieve its goals through military force if Ukraine refuses to accept Russia’s conditions during peace negotiations.
“Our forces are progressing along the entire front line, more quickly in some sectors and more slowly in others, but the adversary is withdrawing across all areas,” Putin announced.
As the conflict continues, the European Union has recently approved a loan to Ukraine exceeding $105 billion.
Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.