Putin warns Russia will expand gains in Ukraine if peace talks collapse

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that Moscow will seek to extend its territorial gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject the Kremlin’s demands in ongoing peace talks.

The warning came as the United States intensifies diplomatic efforts to end nearly four years of fighting following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Those efforts have faced major obstacles due to sharply opposing positions from Moscow and Kyiv.

Speaking at an annual meeting with senior military officers, Putin said Russia prefers to achieve its objectives through diplomacy and to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict.” He added, however, that “if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means.”

Putin was referring to Ukrainian territories seized by Russian forces, actions widely condemned by Western governments as violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty and acts of unprovoked aggression.

He claimed that “the Russian army has seized and is firmly holding strategic initiative all along the front line,” and warned that Moscow would move to expand a “buffer security zone” along Russia’s border.

“Our troops are different now, they are battle-hardened and there is no other such army in the world now,” Putin said.

The Russian leader also highlighted what he described as Russia’s growing military strength, including the modernization of its nuclear arsenal. He pointed to the nuclear-capable intermediate-range Oreshnik ballistic missile, which he said would officially enter combat duty this month. Russia first tested a conventionally armed version of the missile in November 2024 in a strike on a Ukrainian factory, and Putin has claimed it is impossible to intercept.

At the same time, Putin dismissed claims by European officials that Moscow plans to attack European countries, calling them “lies and sheer nonsense … driven by short-sighted personal or group political interests, not by the interests of their people.”

Putin’s remarks followed several rounds of talks this week among Ukrainian, American and European officials on a U.S.-drafted peace plan. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after meeting U.S. envoys in Berlin that the document could be finalized within days, after which it would be presented to the Kremlin.

Putin has demanded that all territories in four key regions captured by Russian forces, as well as Crimea, which was illegally annexed in 2014, be recognized as Russian territory. He has also called on Ukraine to withdraw from parts of eastern Ukraine that Russian forces have not fully captured.

The Kremlin has further insisted that Ukraine abandon its bid to join NATO and has warned it would view any deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine as a “legitimate target.”

Zelenskyy has said he is willing to drop Ukraine’s NATO aspirations if the United States and its allies provide security guarantees similar to those enjoyed by NATO members. However, he has stressed that NATO membership remains Ukraine’s preferred option to deter future Russian aggression. He has also rejected Moscow’s demand for Ukraine to withdraw from territories Russia has failed to seize by force.

Zelenskyy described the draft peace plan discussed in Berlin as “not perfect” but “very workable,” saying Kyiv and its allies were close to agreement on “strong security guarantees.” He emphasized, however, that control over territory remains unresolved and rejected U.S. pressure for Ukraine to cede the eastern Donetsk region.

Putin again praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a settlement and echoed Trump’s repeated claims that the war would not have erupted during his presidency. He accused the previous U.S. administration and some European allies, whom he derisively called “piglings,” of expecting Russia’s collapse.

Dialogue with Europe, Putin said, is “unlikely to become possible with the current political elites,” but he added that it would be inevitable in the future as Russia grows stronger.

At the same military meeting, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov outlined plans for further advances, saying recent gains in Donetsk had paved the way for a rapid push into Ukrainian-controlled parts of the region. He also said Russian forces were preparing to expel Ukrainian troops from parts of the Zaporizhzhia region and extend operations into neighboring Dnipropetrovsk.

“The key task for the next year is to preserve and accelerate the tempo of the offensive,” Belousov said, adding that Russia would expand military capabilities, particularly in drones, electronic jamming and air defense systems.

As fighting continues along much of the front line, Russia also launched daily missile and drone attacks on Ukraine. At least 26 people were injured by Russian glide bombs in Zaporizhzhia and nearby areas, according to regional officials, with several residential buildings, infrastructure and an educational facility damaged.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched at least 69 long-range drones overnight, with 29 intercepted or jammed as the assault continued during the day. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses downed 94 Ukrainian drones overnight.

In Russia’s Krasnodar region, drones injured two people and damaged several homes, while in the Voronezh region, drone debris damaged a power line serving an infrastructure facility, sparking a fire that was quickly extinguished, regional officials said.